HLA Association with Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases (ADs) are chronic complex inflammatory diseases. They are considered to be either specific or systemic and characterized by inducing immune humoral (B cell) or cell (T cells) responses. Although their etiology is unknown, they are well known to have environmental and polygenic components that are involved in defining susceptibility or protection. Thus, the sum of the genes involved in ADs makes up the genetic component that defines them. ADs are presented with a multifactorial genetic inheritance pattern which does not completely follow a classical Mendelian model.