THE ROLE OF 21-HYDROXYLASE DEFICIENCY IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF BEHCET DISEASE

Abstract

Objective: Acne-like skin lesions and more severe disease course in males suggest a role for sex hormones in the pathogenesis of Behcet disease (BD). HLA-B51 is the main genetic susceptibility factor for BD, and CYP21A2 gene responsible for most of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is located within the MHC locus on chromosome 6p21.3. We aimed to investigate the possible role of 21-hydroxylase deficiency in linkage disequilibrium with HLA-B51 and causing androgen excess.