HLA associations and Löfgren’s syndrome

Abstract

Patients with sarcoidosis can be subgrouped according to organ engagement and clinical manifestations. One such subgroup is Löfgren’s syndrome (LS), constituting a distinct group of sarcoidosis patients with typical clinical manifestations, separate genetic associations and an immune response that seems to differ from that of non-LS patients. In particular, LS patients have strong associations with HLA-DRB1 alleles, and the well-known association with HLA-DRB1*03 is particularly striking. This particular HLA-DRB1 allele is also a very strong marker within that particular group of patients for a prognostically favorable disease course. This article will mainly discuss genetic associations with LS, and the possible implications of such associations.

Keywords::

• HLA
• Löfgren’s syndrome
• phenotype
• sarcoidosis
• T cells

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This study was supported by The Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, The King Oscar II Jubilee Foundation, the Swedish Medical Research Council, Torsten and Ragnar Söderbergs Foundation, Karolinska Institutet, and through the regional agreement on medical training and clinical research (ALF) between Stockholm County Council and the Karolinska Institutet. The author has no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.