Human Leukocyte Antigen-B51 Association and Behcet’s Disease in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction: Behcet’s disease (BD) is a chronic systemic inflammatory vasculitis of unknown etiology, characterized by recurrent oral ulcers, genital ulcers, skin lesions, ocular lesions, and other systemic manifestations. The pathogenesis of BD is unclear. Multiple studies have suggested close correlation between BD and human leukocyte antigen-B51 (HLA-B51) as a genetic factor. In our study, we aim to identify the association of HLA-B51 as a risk factor and its association with the multiple clinical signs and symptoms of Saudi BD patients in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary treatment center in the rheumatology subspecialty clinics, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2013 to 2018. The study was conducted by searching the hospital database for BD and HLA-B51. Results: HLA-B51 positivity was observed in 20 of the 38 patients in our sample, accounting for about a quarter of the total (52.6%). Conclusion: Our retrospective study found that HLA-B51 was positive in 52.6% of Saudi patients attending a single tertiary care center. However, a larger multicenter study is required to validate these observational data.