Association of HLA-B*1502 allele and carbamazepine-induced severe adverse cutaneous drug reaction among Asians, a review

Abstract

Strong association between HLAB*1502 and carbamazepine-induced Steven-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) was demonstrated among Han Chinese in 2004. Studies from Europe showed that the HLA B*1502 is not a universal marker for SJS/TEN, but is ethnicity specific for Asians. Reports across Asia has shown that the prevalence of HLA B*1502 is high among Han Chinese (5-15%), Malays (12-15%), and Thais (8-27%), but low among Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka, and most ethnic groups in India. Other than Han Chinese, the association between HLA B*1502 and carbamazepine-induced SJS-TEN is also seen among the Thais and Malay. There is urgent need for further studies to determine the prev..