Momany SM, et al. – This research work was designed to determine the association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and two human leukocyte antigens (HLA) alleles (DQB1*0602 and DRB1*15). Findings reported a significant association of HLA–DQB1*0602 allele, but not HLA–DRB1*15 allele with OSA.

Methods

• This study selected 40 patients with OSA and 40 control subjects.
• The Apnea–Hypopnea Index (AHI)≥5 in overnight polysomnography (PSG) was applied for the diagnosis of OSA.
• To evaluate OSA severity, AHI was also used.
• With the aid of Berlin Questionnaire, controls were randomly selected from healthy volunteers who had a low risk for OSA.
• To examine the association between HLA (HLA–DQB1*0602 and HLA–DRB1*15) and OSA, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using Sequence Specific Primers (PCR–SSPs) was used.
• The statistical analyses of the results were performed.

Results

• In 85% of all OSA patients and 50% of controls, HLA–DQB1*0602 allele was found (P< 0.001).
• In patients with severe OSA, HLA–DQB1*0602 was present in the 92.9% compared with 66.7% in non–severe OSA (P=0.05).
• HLA–DRB1*15 allele was found in 15% of OSA patients and 20% of controls, with no difference between the two groups (P=0.556).
• No statistical difference was found in HLA–DRB1*15 between severe and non–severe OSA (P=0.499).
• After adjusting for gender, HLA–DQB1*0602 allele was associated with increased odds of OSA (OR = 6.17, 95% CI 1.87–20.3, p = 0.003), but HLA–DRB1*15 allele was not associated with OSA (OR 0.45, 95% CI 0.12–1.73, p = 0.242).