Lack of an Exposure Response and Interaction with HLA-DPβ1 and DRβ1 Polymorphisms in the Development of Beryllium Toxicity in a High Beryllium Exposure Cohort.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate interaction of HLA-DPβ1 and DRβ1 polymorphisms with metrics of beryllium exposure, in the development of beryllium sensitization (BeS) and chronic beryllium disease (CBD). METHODS A matched case-control study of 61 CBD, 41 BeS, and 259 controls from two beryllium-processing facilities. RESULTS BES and CBD were significantly associated with presence of DPβE69. Dose response of exposure was not observed for the development of BES and CBD with/without adjustment for DPβE69 (p > 0.05). The DRβE71 polymorphism was more common in BeS than CBD after adjusting for exposure and maybe a protective factor (aOR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.9) against the progression of BeS to CBD. CONCLUSION No exposure-response association was found, which may reflect that the workers in this high exposure cohort were above a threshold level where an exposure-response could be observed.