FREQUENCY OF HLA-B*51 IN PATIENTS WITH BEHÇET’S DISEASE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CLINICAL FINDINGS IN KURDISH POPULATION IN IRAQ

Abstract

Background and Objective: Behçet’s disease (BD) is a relapsing multisystem vasculitis with marked geographic variation and a strong genetic association with HLA-B*51. Data from Kurdish patients in Kurdistan/Iraq remain limited. The aim of the study was to determine the frequency of HLA-B*51 positivity in Kurdish BD patients and to evaluate its relationship with the demographic and the clinical manifestations.

Materials and Methods: In this case–control study, 53 Kurdish patients with active BD attending rheumatology clinics in Duhok and Hawler from May 2024 to May 2025, and 25 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled. HLA-B*51 was detected by PCR. The associations between HLA-B*51 positivity and the gender, age, and clinical features were analyzed using the Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables, the unpaired t-test for comparison of means, and the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests for severity score comparisons, as appropriate.

Results: All patients had oral ulcers (100%), followed by genital lesions (81.1%), arthritis (73.6%), skin lesions (71.7%), eye lesions (52.8%), vascular problems (43.4%), neurological problems (34.0%), and abdominal pain (32.1%). The prevalence of HLA-B*51 positivity was 63.6% among males and 51.6% among females (p = 0.384). Among age groups, 72.7% of patients aged 14–29 years had positive HLA-B*51, compared with 51.9% and 53.3% among those aged 30–45 years and ≥46 years, respectively, but the difference was not significant (p = 0.478). No significant association was detected between HLA-B*51 positivity and the clinical features. The prevalence of HLA-B*51 positivity was 62.5% among patients with mild disease, 57.5% among those with moderate disease, and 40.0% among those with severe disease, with no significant difference (p = 0.799).

Conclusion: HLA-B*51 is highly prevalent among Kurdish BD patients in Kurdistan/Iraq. HLA-B*51 testing may support clinical assessment, but in this study it was not associated with specific clinical manifestations or disease severity.