Low frequency of the disease‐associated DRB1*15‐DQB1*06 haplotype may contribute to the low prevalence of multiple sclerosis in Sami

• Published in: Tissue Antigens
• Main Authors: Harbo, H. F., Utsi, E., Lorentzen, Å. R., Kampman, M. T., Celius, E. G., Myhr, K.‐M., Lie, B. A., Mellgren, S. I., Thorsby, E.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2007
• Subjects: sami
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-0039.2007.00803.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1399-0039.2007.00803.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1399-0039.2007.00803.x

Abstract This study confirms a low frequency of multiple sclerosis (MS) among Sami. Only 12 Sami with a diagnosis of MS were identified in the Norwegian Sami population, which represents a significantly lower prevalence of MS in Sami (30/10 5 ) compared with other Norwegians (73–164/10 5 ). The clinical characteristics as well as the results of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐DRB1 and ‐DQB1 typing of the Sami MS patients are reported, showing that three (27%) of the Sami MS patients carried the MS‐associated HLA‐DRB1*15‐DQB1*06 haplotype. Interestingly, the DRB1*15‐DQB1*06 haplotype had a significantly reduced frequency among Sami controls (0.086) compared with non‐Sami Norwegian controls (0.163) ( P corrected = 0.015). The low frequency of the disease‐associated DRB1*15‐DQB1*06 haplotype in the Sami population may contribute to the low prevalence of MS in Sami, in addition to other yet unidentified genetic and environmental factors.