HLA antigens in the Landry‐Guillain‐Barré syndrome and chronic relapsing polyneuritis

Forty-four patients with inflammatory demyelinating polyneuritis (22 with Landry-Guillain-Barré syndrome, 6 with subacute polyneuritis, and 16 with chronic relapsing polyneuritis) were typed for genetic markers in and around the HLA region of chromosome 6. Patients with chronic relapsing polyneuritis showed a definite association with HLA-AW30 and AW31 and probable associations with HLA-B8, HLA-DW3, and glyoxalase I. No significant associations were demonstrated with the Landry-Guillain-Barré syndrome although an increase in glyoxalase I was significant if combined with the results of typing in chronic relapsing polyneuritis. The total patient group showed significant increases in HLA-AW30, HLA-AW31, and HLA-DW3. The results support the view that HLA-linked genetic factors influence susceptibility to chronic relapsing polyneuritis and may contribute to the differences in clinical patterns observed in inflammatory demyelination of the peripheral nervous system.