Pattern of HLA types in renal transplant patients in Sohag Governorate: A cross-sectional study

Objective This study aimed to assess the pattern of HLA types in Egyptian renal transplant patients in the Sohag governorate. Materials and methods A retrospective chart review was conducted on all patients and their donors, who were scheduled to undergo renal transplantation at Sohag University Hospital through the period from January 2010 to December 2019. We retrieved the following data from eligible patients’ files: age of the recipient and donor, gender of the recipient and donor, consanguinity, blood group, cross-matching, HLA classes A and B, and DR alleles. Results Overall, a total of 26 recipients (70.3%) and 25 donors (67.6%) had HLA-A alleles, while 22 recipients (59.5%) and 26 donors (70.3%) had HLA-B alleles. In terms of the pattern of HLA-A distribution among recipients, the most frequent alleles were AFNx0101/02 (8.1%), AFNx0102/23 (5.4%), AFNx0102/32 (5.4%), and AFNx0102 (5.4%). On the other hand, the most frequent HLA-A alleles in the donors’ group were AFNx0101/02 (5.4%), AFNx0102/03 (5.4%), and AFNx0126/68 (5.4%). Regarding HLA-B allele distribution, all recipients had different alleles. While BFNx0141/52 was the most frequent allele in the donors’ group. All recipients, except two patients, had HLA-DR alleles, most commonly DRFNx0111/13 (13.5%) and DRFNx0113/15 (8.1%). Negative cross-matching was present in 59.5% of the cases. Among female recipients, only AFNx0113/15 and BFNx0127/51/53 alleles were detected. Conclusion In conclusion, our findings were very similar to the results from other local and global studies. Different populations and ethnicities are the main dependent variables of the major differences in terms of HLA allele distribution.