1993 Volume 32 Issue 2 Pages 94-97
To investigate the possible influence of genetics in subjects with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), HLA-A, B, C, and DR antigens were studied in 32 Japanese subjects with OSAS. The frequency of HLA-A2antigen was markedly increased in the patients with OSAS compared with normal controls (81.3% vs 40.6%) and compared with the Japanese population (40.7%), Pc<0.035 and Pc<0.007, respectively. HLA-B39 was found more frequently in OSAS patients than in the Japanese population (Pc<0.018), but not in the controls. No significant deviation was observed in the frequencies of HLA-C and DR antigens between the OSAS patients and the controls. We conclude that genetics is important in the development of OSAS.
(Internal Medicine 32: 94-97, 1993)
