HLA-DQ8 - DQ8 and Disease

DQ8 and Disease

In Europe, DQ8 is associated with juvenile diabetes and coeliac disease. The highest risk factor for type 1 diabetes is the HLA DQ8/DQ2.5 phenotype. In parts of eastern Scandinavia both DQ2.5 and DQ8 are high increases frequencies of late onset Type I and ambiguous Type I/II diabetes. DQ8 is also found in many indigenous peoples of Asia, it was detected early on in the Bedoin population of Arabia where DQ2.5 is frequently absent, and in these instances DQ8 is solely associated HLA in Coeliac Disease.

In the United States, however there appears to be shift in autoimmune disease risk for immigrants from Mexico. Increased immunoreactivity of Hispanics in Houston appear to be associated with DR4-DQ8. The haplotype may incur the highest risk for rheumatoid arthritis.

In Japan DQ3 (DQ7, DQ8, DQ9) is associated with myasthenia gravis in the early onset female population, though it does not appear DQ8 has the greater role, there are similarities between myasthenia gravis in Japan and that detected in the Houston Hispanic population, with DQ8 associated with younger females relative to the associations of all other HLA DQ types. Coeliac disease is on the rise in Japan, and it is clear that dietary shifts are the reason, but, also there is no DQ2.5 in Japan while Dq8 levels are moderate.