Takayasu's arteritis (TA) and tuberculosis (TB) have been associated with major histocompatibility complex genes, especially HLA-B alleles. However, different HLA-B alleles have been detected in these diseases. The aim of the study was to compare the distribution of the residues 63 and 67 on the HLA-B molecule in patients with TA and TB in order to establish a genetic relationship between these two diseases. HLA-B sequences obtained in 30 patients with TB were compared to those previously reported in TA and healthy controls. 8 out of 30 TB patients studied (26.6%) presented at least one allele with glutamic acid at position 63 and serine at position 67. This was observed in 73% of the TA patients (p = 0.0005). Ten TB (10/30 = 33.3%) and two TA patients (2/26 = 7.7%) did not show similarity at the mentioned positions (p = 0.019). This preliminary study suggests a difference in the distribution of the residues 63 and 67 of the HLA-B alleles in patients with TA and TB.
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