HLA Antigens in Japanese Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Lymphocytes of 84 Japanese patients with diabetes mellitus and 150 normal controls were tested for HLA antigens by the microcytotoxicity test. HLA-B12 was found in 37.5 per cent of 32 patients with juvenile-onset diabetes mellitus, 13.5 per cent of 52 patients with late-onset diabetes, and 9.3 per cent of 150 normal controls. In the insulin-dependent juvenile form, HLA-B12 was associated with the disease more frequently and at a significant level (p<0.0005). In Japanese patients with juvenile-onset insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus the association is with HLA-B12, not with HLA-B8 and BW15, as in Caucasian patients. There was no significant increase of HLA-B12 in patients with insulin-independent diabetes mellitus.