Genetic Variants of HLA-DRB1 Alleles and the Chance of Developing Rheumatoid Arthritis: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is more common in those who have specific genetic types of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA). One of the most important genetic risk factors for RA lies in the HLA-DRB1 locus. Objective: This review aimed to determine which HLA-DRB1 alleles were associated with the risk of RA per allele and phenotype group. Methods: Statistical analyses were performed using RevMan version 5.4.1. Results: The meta-analysis included nine articles that involved 3004 RA patients and 2384 healthy controls. In the allele group, the frequencies of three HLA-DRB1 alleles, HLA-DRB1* 10 (OR = 1.88, 95%CI = 1.25–2.83, p = 0.002), HLA-DRB1* 04 (OR = 2.38, 95%CI = 1.73–3.29, p < 0.00001), and HLA-DRB1* 01 (OR = 1.32, 95%CI = 1.08–1.61, p = 0.006), were considerably higher in RA patients than in controls, and these alleles potentially increased the chance of disease development. Five HLADRB1 alleles (* 03, * 07, * 11, * 13, and * 14), were more prevalent in healthy people than in RA patients and may therefore offer protection against disease onset. Only the DRB1* 04 subtypes, DRB1* 0401 (OR = 1.37, 95 percent CI = 1.05–1.79, p = 0.02) and DRB1* 0404 (OR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.19–12.53, p = 0.004), showed a significant association with the risk of RA in our pooled effect. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated a significant relationship between HLA-DRB1 and the risk of RA in various ethnic groups.