HLA and skin disease in the Chinese.

The HLA associations in skin diseases among the Chinese were reviewed. Tuberculoid leprosy was associated with B17 (RR = 4.1). This HLA association was reinforced in the finding of excess HLA haplotype sharing among affected siblings in multiple case families. In psoriasis the associations were with A1, AW30 and B13. The relative risk associated with AW30, B13 was 16.1. In SLE, mild patients were associated with B13 (RR = 3.7) and severe patients with B17.