A previous study reported that a subset of HLA-DRB1 alleles called SE, a five-amino acid sequence motif in residues 70–74 (QKRAA, RRRAA and QRRAA), including *0101, *0102, *0401, *0404, *0405, *0408, *0410, *1001, *1402, and *1406, was associated with the development and severity of RA [23]. This evidence concerns the gene HLA-DRB1 and rheumatoid arthritis.