Should HLA‐B*5701 Screening Be Performed in Every Ethnic Group before Starting Abacavir?

• DOI: 10.1086/595890
• Publication Date: 2008-12-30T20:54:12Z
• Authors: Wan Beom Park; Pyoeng Gyun Choe; Kyoung‐Ho Song; Shinwon Lee; Hee‐Chang Jang; Jae Hyun Jeon; Sang‐Won Park; Myoung Hee Park; Myoung‐don Oh; Kang Won Choe
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Korea; HIV Infections; Middle Aged; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Dideoxynucleosides; 3. Good health; Drug Hypersensitivity; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; HLA-B Antigens; Ethnicity; Humans; Female; Genetic Testing

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.