HLA-B*1511 is a risk factor for carbamazepine-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis in Japanese patients.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are rare but life-threatening severe cutaneous adverse reactions. Recently, strong associations of HLA-B*1502 with carbamazepine-induced SJS/TEN have been found in Han Chinese patients. These associations have been confirmed in several Asian populations, excluding Japanese. SJS patients carrying HLA-B*1508, HLA-B*1511, or HLA-B*1521, which are members of the HLA-B75 type along with HLA-B*1502, were detected in studies in India and Thailand. In the current study, we genotyped the HLA-B locus from 14 Japanese typical and atypical SJS/TEN patients in whom carbamazepine was considered to be involved in the onset of adverse reactions. Although there were no HLA-B*1502 carriers, four patients had HLA-B*1511. Our data suggest that HLA-B*1511, a member of HLA-B75, is a risk factor for carbamazepine-induced SJS/TEN in Japanese.