OBJECTIVES: Rheumatoid arthritis is a polygenically controlled systemic autoimmune disease. Rheumatoid vasculitis is an important extra-articular phenotype of rheumatoid arthritis that can result in deep cutaneous ulcers. The objective of this study was to establish a correlation between the frequency of major histocompatibility complex class I/II alleles and killer immunoglobulin-like receptor genotypes in patients with cutaneous rheumatoid vasculitis. METHODS: Using the Scott & Bacon 1984 criteria to diagnose rheumatoid vasculitis and after excluding any other causes such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, adverse drug reactions, infection, and smoking, patients who met the criteria were selected. All of the selected rheumatoid vasculitis patients presented deep cutaneous ulcers. Identification of the major histocompatibility complex class I/II and killer immunoglobulin-like receptor genotypes was performed by polymerase chain reaction assays of samples collected from the 23 rheumatoid vasculitis patients as well as from 80 controls (40 non-rheumatoid vasculitis RA control patients and 40 healthy volunteers). RESULTS: An association between the presence of the HLA-DRB1*1402 and HLA-DRB1*0101 alleles and cutaneous lesions in rheumatoid vasculitis patients and a correlation between the inhibitor KIR2DL3 and the HLA-C*0802 ligand in rheumatoid vasculitis patients were found. CONCLUSION: An association was found between the presence of the HLA-DRB1*1402 and HLA-DRB1*0101 alleles and the development of cutaneous lesions in rheumatoid vasculitis patients. Additionally, the HLA-C*0802 ligand protects these individuals from developing cutaneous lesions.

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a frequência do HLA classes I e II e sua associação com a manifestação cutânea da vasculite reumatoide (VR) em pacientes brasileiros. PACIENTES E MÉTODOS: Durante um ano foram selecionados 130 pacientes com artrite reumatoide (AR), classificados de acordo com os critérios do American College of Rheumatology de 1987. Os pacientes foram submetidos a um questionário clínico e laboratorial para exclusão de outras causas de vasculopatia cutânea (neoplasia, infecções, uso de drogas ilícitas, diabetes mellitus e tabagismo). Setenta e três foram excluídos por apresentarem algum fator de risco para outras causas de vasculopatias. Cinquenta e sete foram incluídos no estudo sem fator de risco para outras causas de vasculopatia, dos quais 17 apresentavam VR de acordo com os critérios de 1984 de Scott e Bacon. Foram analisados dados demográficos, tempo de diagnóstico de AR, atividade da doença (DAS28) e presença de fator reumatoide e de anticorpos antipeptídeo citrulinado cíclico. Alelos HLA foram tipificados usando-se a reação em cadeia da polimerase-DNA amplificada por hibridização de baixa resolução com sequências específicas de sondas. RESULTADOS: A comparação entre os 40 pacientes sem VR e os 17 pacientes com VR demonstrou uma frequência aumentada do HLA-B*14 (Pc = 0,168) e do HLA-Cw*08 (Pc = 0,084) em pacientes com VR, e uma frequência aumentada do HLA-DRB5*01 (Pc = 0,048) em pacientes sem VR. CONCLUSÃO: O HLA-DRB5*01 pode conferir proteção contra essa manifestação extra-articular da AR.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the frequency of HLA classes I and II and their association with the cutaneous manifestation of rheumatoid vasculitis (RV) in Brazilian patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During one year we selected 130 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) classified according to the American College of Rheumatology, 1987. All patients underwent a clinical and laboratory questionnaire to exclude other causes of cutaneous vasculopathy (neoplasia, infections, illicit drug use, diabetes mellitus, and tobaccoism). Seventy-three patients with any risk factor for other causes of vasculopathy were excluded. Fifty-seven without risk factors for other causes of vasculopathy were included in the study, 17 with RV according to Scott and Bacon's criteria, 1984. Demographic data, time of RA diagnosis, disease activity (DAS28), presence of rheumatoid factor, and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies were analyzed. The HLA alleles were typed using the DNA-amplified polymerase chain reaction with low-resolution hybridization and sequence-specific primers. RESULTS: The comparison between the 40 patients without RV and the 17 patients with RV showed an increased frequency of HLA-B*14 (Pc = 0.168) and HLA-Cw*08 (Pc = 0.084) in patients with RV and an increased frequency of HLA-DRB5*01 (Pc = 0.048) in patients without RV. CONCLUSION: The HLA-DRB5*01 may confer protection against that extra-articular manifestation of RA.