Clinical Indications

For translant, HLA typing of patients and potential donors to assess the degree of compatibility between them. The better the match of HLA antigens, the lower the chance for harmful post-transplant immune reactions.

In addition to the indications described above for transplant patients, HLA testing for the following conditions are performed:

Disease association: Patients are HLA typed to determine if they carry genes that are known to be associated with certain diseases. These tests can help physicians diagnose and determine an appropriate treatment plan for their patients.

Drug hypersensitivity: Several drugs are associated with severe reactions if administered to patients that carry certain HLA genes. HLA typing of patients before the prescription of these drugs helps to prevent these potentially life-threatening reactions.

Platelet transfusion support: Patients with low platelet counts are at risk for serious bleeding complications and are often transfused with platelets from healthy donors. However, patients can sometimes produce antibodies to the HLA molecules expressed on platelets, which reduce the effectiveness of platelet transfusion. HLA typing, in addition to antibody detection, help physicians choose a platelet donor that will result in increased platelet counts for patients in need.