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What Are the Causes of Unacceptable HLA Antigens?

Chromosome 6 in humans contains genes essential to healthy immune systems. Human leukocyte antigens (HLA) testing sometimes finds unacceptable HLA levels. The closest correlation with specific diseases concerns HLA-B27. Ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome and sacroiliitus are three diseases clearly linked to unacceptably high levels of HLA. Also, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, certain HLA levels are a cause for medical concern in organ transplant operations.

  1. Arthritis

    • In January 2004, the "Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine" published an article on the strong link between HLA and arthritic diseases, particularly Reiter's syndrome, aka reactive arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. These are chronic diseases with a genetic link marked by HLA. Reiter's syndrome causes inflammation of the eyes and urinary tract. Ankylosing spondylitis is a spinal disease. Early symptoms include pain and stiffness in the lower back. Eventually, when inflammation continues, the body tries to heal by fusing, and vertebrae slowly grow together.

    Sacroiliitis

    • Sacroiliitis is an inflammation of one or both of the sacrioliac joints. This disease causes pain in the lower back, butttocks and legs. Accidents or injuries can sacroiliitis. The Mayo Clinic identifies that genetic inflammatory arthritis called spondyloarthropathies is also a cause. Doctors perform human leukocyte antigens (HLA) testing to check for this link. High levels can indicate a genetic rather than environmental cause of sacroiliitis. Treatments include pain relievers, muscle relaxers and physical therapy to increase range of motion. In severe pain cases, physicians use radio frequency energy to destroy nerve tissue.

    Tissue Matching

    • Allografts are tissues or organs transplanted from one individual to another. A major problem is that the host can view the transplanted tissue as foreign and the immune system attacks. When organs are transplanted from one identical twin to another, this does not occur. The United Network for Organ Sharing, UNOS, tests for histocompatibilty by gathering data on antigens, specifically transmembrane proteins and polypeptides. UNOS tries to match the following areas: HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-DR. If these levels are not acceptable, the organ search continues.

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