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Joined: 24 Jul 2007
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 Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 4:51 pm Post subject: Understanding HLA Genotyping |
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Q: How do I interpret what the HLA genotype results mean? For example, my daughter came up as 16-5-51 which indicates Lyme. Does that mean it must be Lyme or can it still be mold. I am not sure if being in one category means you can't also be in another?
A: The HLA DR by PCR test does not by itself diagnose an illness. Certain HLA haplotypes (the triplets and doublets) appear at a much higher frequency in cases than in controls. We compare the % of an HLA in the case group to the % in the control group to obtain a number, called relative risk (RR). If the RR is more than 2.0, the statisticians tell us that the number is significant (some experts think that a RR of > 1.5 is significant). Yes, your haplotype, though relatively rare, is associated with a marked increase in cases of all biotoxin illness. We call it multisusceptible. Your daughter’s is 16-5-51. This haplotype only shows up in increase amounts in patients with Lyme refractory to antibiotics. If her mold exposure is great enough, long enough, she can become “moldy;” the good news is that her response to treatment is much better than a true mold susceptible haplotype.
Ritchie Shoemaker, MD
Pocomoke, Maryland |
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