HLA-B*5801

• About
• References

About

HLA-B*5801 is an allele of the HLA-B gene. It is associated with a higher risk of allopurinol hypersensitivity syndrome (AHS)¹. AHS is a rare but potentially fatal adverse effect of allopurinol.

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guidelines recommend checking for this allele prior to starting allopurinol in patients who are of Southeast Asian descent (Han Chinese, Korean, Thai) or are African American¹. This is due to the increased prevalence of the HLA-B*5801 genotype in these populations. The ACR guidelines do not recommend checking for this allele in patients of European or other descents.

References

1. FitzGerald JD, Dalbeth N, Mikuls T, Brignardello-Petersen R, Guyatt G, Abeles AM, Gelber AC, Harrold LR, Khanna D, King C, Levy G, Libbey C, Mount D, Pillinger MH, Rosenthal A, Singh JA, Sims JE, Smith BJ, Wenger NS, Bae SS, Danve A, Khanna PP, Kim SC, Lenert A, Poon S, Qasim A, Sehra ST, Sharma TSK, Toprover M, Turgunbaev M, Zeng L, Zhang MA, Turner AS, Neogi T. 2020 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for the Management of Gout. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2020 Jun;72(6):744-760. doi: 10.1002/acr.24180. Epub 2020 May 11. Erratum in: Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2020 Aug;72(8):1187. Erratum in: Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2021 Mar;73(3):458. PMID: 32391934.