The number of patients with
end stage renal disease (
ESRD) is increasing considerably worldwide.
Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLAs) are relevant for the expression of many
immunological diseases and contribute to the development of different nephropathies. Therefore, we aimed from the present work to investigate the possible association between the frequency of
HLA-A, -B, and -DR
antigens and
ESRD in Kuwaiti patients awaiting renal transplant.
HLA-A, -B, and -DR typing was performed by
complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) method for 334 patients with
ESRD awaiting
renal transplantation and 191 healthy controls. The frequency of
HLA-B8 antigen was significantly higher in
ESRD patients (OR = 2.62, p = 0.001, pc = 0.038), and the frequency of
HLA-A28,
HLA-DR11 antigens was significantly higher in healthy controls (OR 0.42, p = 0.0001; pc = 0.0021, and OR = 0.44, p = 0.0007, pc = 0.01 respectively). While the
HLA-B8 antigen may be a susceptibility risk factor for development of
ESRD, the
HLA-A28, and
HLA-DR11 antigens may be protective against development of
ESRD in Kuwaiti population.