Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia after bone marrow transplantation: association with human leukocyte antigens

This is the first study reporting the relationship between the development of bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) in patients with bone marrow transplantation (BMT).The HLA B35 was significantly higher in patients with BOOP than in patients without BOOP after BMT (P = 0.0069). The HLA B35 is important as a host factor for the generation of BOOP after BMT. OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between the development of BOOP after BMT and HLA. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed clinical features and chest computed tomographic scans in 64 patients who underwent allogeneic BMT between March 1990 and September 2004, and evaluated the relationship between HLA and development of BOOP. RESULTS: Development of BOOP was between days 22 and 347 (mean, 114 days). The common computed tomographic findings consisted of patchy consolidation in subpleural and/or peribronchovascular distributions. Frequency of HLA B35 in patients with BOOP development after BMT was significantly higher than in patients without BOOP after BMT (P = 0.0069). There were no significant relationships between the others of this antigen and BOOP development. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that HLA B35 is an important host factor for the generation of BOOP after BMT.