HLA DR2 PHENOTYPE IN INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETICS - ITS ROLE ON DEVELOPMENT OF REMISSION PHASES AND DEGENERATIVE COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES

The role of genetics in the susceptibility to type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes (IDDM) has been clarified in recent years by family and population studies, showing that a major role is played by the HLA region. Alleles B8, B15, and B18 were first recognized as more frequent in type I dabetic patients, but further studies showed that their enhanced frequencies were secondary to the increase in DR3 and DR4 frequencies. On the contrary, HLA DR2 antigen has been found to be very rare in IDDM patients; so far it has been considered to be protective against the development of diabetes. Clinical, immunologic, and metabolic studies have evidenced the existence of further heterogeneity among IDDM patients. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between HLA factors and other clinical features (remission phase, age at the onset, familiarity, and complications) in a sample of Italian diabetic patients