Clinical and radiological study of first degree relatives of patients with ankylosing spondylitis in relation to HLA-B27

ABSTRACT

The aim of the present work was to define the frequency of HLA- B27 in patients with AS and their first degree relatives in a sample of Egyptian subjects, searching for an eventual association of this antigen with the clinical or subclinical findings in patients and/or their first degree relatives. For this purpose, 8 probands and 32 of the first degree relatives have been included in this study, in addition to 100 healthy control subjects. All subjects have been investigated for HLA-B27, rheumatoid factor, ABO blood grouping, echocardiography [when needed], ophthalmologic examination and radiographic imaging. The results pointed to the value of combining serological, immunogenetic and radiological studies when investigating patients with AS as well as for screening their first degree relatives for early detection of the disease in this population at risk