Whole-genome screening for susceptibility genes in multicase families with Behcet's disease

Abstract

Objective. Behcet's disease is generally considered to be a multifactorial disease with important genetic and environmental components. A strong association between an HLA class I antigen, HLA-B51, and Behcet's disease has long been known. However, analysis of multicase families has suggested a substantial contribution of non-HLA loci. The aim of this study was to perform a whole-genome linkage analysis for identification of other susceptibility loci for Behcet's disease in multicase families.