Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of HLA DR-DQ haplotypes in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in the Southeast Region of Turkey.
Methods: Eighty children and adolescents with T1DM and eighty control subjects participated in the study. HLA-DR, DQ was typed using polymerase chain reaction and sequence-specific priming technique.
Results: HLA DRB1*03 allele was significantly more common in patients than in control subjects. HLA DRB1*11, HLA DRB1*13 and HLA DRB1*14 allele frequencies were significantly lower in patients than in controls. DQB1*02 allele was more common in patients, whereas DQB1*03 allele was more frequent in control subjects. HLA DRB1*03-DQB1*02 haplotype was more frequently observed among patients.
Conclusion: These results confirm the similar potential trends in the frequency distribution of HLA susceptibility genes with T1DM previously observed in Turkey and in other Caucasian populations.