Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Friday, January 30, 2009 Surviver48&counting asks

Q: Can the cause for the disease uveitis be related to the HLAB 27 genome and what is HLAB27 mean?

I am studing a case where the underlying cause for iritis/uveitis (a severe case) was attributed to HLAB27 genome.  What does this indicate or represent and does it cause other pyhsical diseases?  I assume  DNA must be involved, but, have not been able to find anything anywhere about this subject.  If  you have any info. as to other resources I could study, this it would also be helpful.  Thank You J Brady. Surviver48&counting

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1/31/09 11:16am

The presence of HLA B27 is associated with an increased incidence of several autoimmune diseases including uveitis. Macrophages and dendritic cells pick up antigens - foreign proteins present in the blood - on their HLA molecules and take them over to T-helper cells which then start an immune response to clear them from the body. (This is why macrophages are called antigen presenting cells.) If these antigen presenting cells pick up proteins manufactured in the body (as opposed to a  protein from a virus) T-helper cells will start manufacture an immune response targeting the body (!). This is what occurs in an auto-immune disease. 

 

HLA-B27 refers to a specfic variant of HLA molecules that only some people carry. When its present those APC's don't seem to be functioning normally giving those people an increased incidence of auto-immune disease. What exactly's happening, however, is unclear. Many people have HLA-B27 molecules and don't have auto-immune diseases. This means there are more factors involved that have not been uncovered yet.  Its a piece of the puzzle but not a defining one. 

 

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1201027-overview

 

 

 

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5/23/11 1:46pm

Yes, I have the HLA-B27 marker in my blood.  I can't tell you how many Doctors and how many xrays were taken before I was finally diagnosed.  I also had iritis/uveitis so severe I had lazer surgery on my eye and the fear of a detached retina.  So from my standpoint,  I think they are related.  This happened quite a few years ago, and I am now 75.  Six years ago I was diagnosed with AML, Type 2 but I can't come to the conclusion that HLA-B27 was a contributing factor. However, my Doctor that treated me for the cancer, again found this gene while I was being treated. I went through three inductions, followed up  by consolidations each time. The last drug I had was Mylotarg which has been withdrawn from the market.

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