Background: This study was undertaken in order to analyze the genetic incidence of human lymphocyte antigen diabetic retinopathy (HLA-DR) and its influence in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).
Methods: We designed a case-control study in which 127 mestizo Mexican patients with DM II and diabetic retinopathy were studied. DNA was extracted and HLA-DR regions were amplified using PCR. Alleles were determined by DNA hybridization. Diagnosis was assessed clinically and by fluorescein angiography. Incidence of HLA-DR alleles in patients was compared with an ethnically matched control group of healthy subjects (n = 98). Statistical significance was established with non-parametric tests.
Results: Patients with diabetic retinopathy showed less frequency of HLA-D11 compared with the control group (p = 0.043). NPDR patients with 10 or more years of DM II showed an increase of HLA-DR7 (p = 0.01).
Conclusions: Our results suggest that the presence of HLA-DR7 protects against the development of proliferative disease in the diabetic Mexican population.