Correlation of HLA-Cw6 Positivity with Clinical Characteristics and Treatment Efficacy in Korean Patients with Psoriasis
	    		
		   		
		   			
		   		
	    	
    	- Author:
	        		
		        		
		        		
			        		So Mim KIM
			        		
			        		
			        		
			        			1
			        			
			        		
			        		
			        		
			        		
			        		;
		        		
		        		
		        		
			        		Heera LEE
			        		
			        		;
		        		
		        		
		        		
			        		Eun-So LEE
			        		
			        		
		        		
		        		
		        		
			        		
			        		Author Information
			        		
 - Publication Type:Original Article
 - From:Annals of Dermatology 2022;34(4):253-260
 - CountryRepublic of Korea
 - Language:English
 - 
		        	Abstract:
			       	
			       		
				        
				        	 Background:Psoriasis is a multifactorial, chronic immunological disease, in which a specific allele HLA-Cw6 is associated with various clinical manifestations. However, information regarding this genetic factor in Korean patients with psoriasis remains limited. 
				        	
Objective:We aimed to explore the differences in clinical patterns and treatment responsiveness, depending on the expression of HLA-Cw6, in Korean patients with psoriasis.
Methods:We divided patients into two groups, namely HLA-Cw6-positive and HLACw6-negative, based on the HLA-Cw6 allelic analysis using the single specific primerpolymerase chain reaction method. All clinical information regarding these patients was collected in a retrospective manner. Next, we evaluated the levels of serum Th17-related cytokines in 34 patients diagnosed with psoriasis using a multiplex immunoassay. Finally, we performed immunohistochemical staining of interleukin (IL)-22 and IL-31, as these cytokines showed the maximum differential expression between the HLA-Cw6 positive and negative groups.
Results:HLA-Cw6 positive and negative groups comprised of 13 and 21 patients, respectively. HLA-Cw6-positive group had more chance of having metabolic comorbidities (76.9% for HLA-Cw6-positive group; 28.6% for HLA-Cw6-negative group; p=0.002). Also, HLA-Cw6-positive group showed significantly higher treatment response (38.5% in positive group showed Psoriasis Area and Severity Index 90% improvement compared to 4.8% in the negative group; p=0.012). However, all Th17-related cytokines were not significantly different across the two groups. Furthermore, IL-22 and IL-31 immunohistochemical staining did not correlate with the serum cytokines levels.
Conclusion:HLA-Cw6 types can be associated with disease severity, comorbidities, and treatment responsiveness in Korean patients with psoriasis. 
            