[Prevalence of HLA-A and -B antigens, anti-HBc and -HBs antibodies in alcoholic hepatopathies].

The frequency of 26 HLA-A and B antigens and of antibodies to the hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) and surface antigen (anti-HBs) has been studied in 150 alcoholic patients divided into 3 groups: I) n = 50, isolated hepatic steatosis; II) n = 50, acute alcoholic hepatitis +/- cirrhosis; III) n = 50, cirrhosis without acute alcoholic hepatitis. For the control group 184 blood donors were selected. In all these subjects, as in all the alcoholic patients, the Alsatian origin of four grand parents was proved. An increased frequency of HLA-B15 was observed in group III (34 p. 100) compared to the control group (9.8 p. 100) (corrected p less than 0.001). There was no significant difference between the four groups for all the other HLA antigens. In group III, the prevalence of anti-HBc and/or anti-HBs was higher in patients with HLA-B15 (64.7 p. 100) than in patients without this antigen (15.1 p. 100) (p less than 0.001). In groups I and II, there was no significant difference. These results suggest that there is a genetic predisposition to cirrhosis without acute alcoholic hepatitis, dependent on HLA-B15 antigen. This predisposition could involve the hepatitis B virus.