HLA-A and -B typings were detected in 93 asthmatic and 98 normal subjects, all of them of Han nationality, in Shenyang. Antigen frequencies of HLA-A9, A10, Bw61 and Bw62 were found to be much higher than those of normal controls, and -A3 much lower (p less than 0.05). However, after the p-values were corrected, the significant difference was only existing in HLA-Bw61 (pc less than 0.01) with a relative risk of 6.6 (HLA frequencies were 0.2366 and 0.0408 in patient group and control, respectively). Our results indicate a significant association between HLA-Bw61 and the asthmatic patients of Han nationality in Shenyang area, North-east China.