RT Journal
A1 McCombs CC, Michalski JP
T1 HLa and immune response
JF JAMA
JO JAMA
YR 1989
FD August 11
VO 262
IS 6
SP 774
OP 774
DO 10.1001/jama.1989.03430060068021
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.1989.03430060068021
AB To the Editor.— 
    We read with interest the article by Weissman et al that reports an association of HLA-DR3, DR4, and DR7 with nonresponsiveness to recombinant hepatitis B vaccine.1 These same HLA-DR antigens have an increased prevalence of celiac disease, a disorder in which an immune response to dietary gliadin seems to underlie the intestinal damage. HLA-DR3 and DR7 have in common a frequent association with the allele DQ2. It now seems that the "primary" association with celiac disease may be that of HLA-DQ2.2-5 It would be interesting to see if the nonresponders with HLA-DR3 and DR7 in the study by Weissman et al also have HLA-DQ2.In the case of celiac disease, a collaborative study by the Ninth Histocompatibility Workshop found that in a group of patients with celiac disease who lacked either DR3 or DR7, some had DQ2 in the absence of DR3 or DR7, while