ASSOCIATION OF HLA-A2 WITH UVEITIS IN HLA-B27 POSITIVE PATIENTS WITH ANKYLOSING-SPONDYLITIS

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 8  (2) , 295-298
Abstract
Patients (175) with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) were studied in order to define the genetic characteristics of those patients who had associated acute anterior uveitis (AAU). The first 131 patients were tested for HLA antigens of the A and B loci, and the remaining 44 patients were typed only for HLA-B27. AAU was significantly more common in B27 positive patients, occuring in 40 of 144 B27 positive (27.7%) and in only 3 of 31 B27 negative patients (9.7%) (P < 0.05). Among the B27 positive AS patients, AAU occurred in 24 of 68 patients (35%) who also possessed HLA-A2 and in only 5 of 35 patients (14%) who lacked A2 (P < 0.025). An independent association of AAU with A2 could not be shown. In the absence of evidence of linkage disequilibrium between A2 and B27 in the general population, data suggest that the presence of A2 in B27 positive AS patients enhances the risk of AAU above that associated with B27 alone, and that other MHC[major histocompatibility complex]-linked genetic factors, in addition to B27, are associated with susceptibility to AAU in AS patients.

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