Should HLA-B*5701 screening be performed in every ethnic group before starting abacavir?

Park, Wan Beom; Choe, Pyoeng Gyun; Song, Kyoung-Ho; Lee, Shinwon; Jang, Hee-Chang; Jeon, Jae Hyun; Park, Sang-Won; Park, Myoung Hee et al. · Clin Infect Dis · 2009

cross_sectional · Level IV

Where this comes from

Abstract

Human leukocyte antigen allele (HLA)-B*5701 is associated with abacavir hypersensitivity. However, the carriage rate of HLA-B*5701 has rarely been studied in Asians. In 534 Korean patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection, HLA-B*5701 status was determined by polymerase chain reaction with HLA-B*5701-specific primers. No patients had the HLA-B*5701 allele (95% confidence interval, 0%-0.7%). This explains the paucity of immunologically confirmed cases of abacavir hypersensitivity in Koreans.

Medical subject headings