prevalence of HLA B27 in inflammatory bowel disease patients in Jordan

ABSTRACT

To find out the prevalence of Human Leucocyte Antigen B27 [HLA-B27] in inflammatory bowel disease patients in Jordan. Over the last year [2005] all inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] patients attending the gastroenterology outpatient clinic at King Hussein Medical Center[KHMC], were given a questionnaire asking them to report back pain and the characteristics of this pain. The first 60 patients to complain of inflammatory-type back pain [according to the European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group Criteria]; underwent a blood test to check for the presence of HLA-B27 in their blood. At the same time a comparable number of patients not suffering from IBD or any rheumatological disease, were checked for the presence of HLA-B27. Only five patients of the IBD group [4 females and 1 male] showed HLA-B27 positivity. Three patients had ulcerative colitis [UC] and 2 patients had Crohn's disease [CD]. Three of the patients in IBD group had active disease and were on steroids the other two were in remission and were on aminosalicylic acid [5-ASA] only. Three patients of the controlled group [all females] showed HLA-B2 positivity. Two of the patients in the IBD group were of European origin. It is concluded that HLA-B27 is no more common in IBD patients than in the general population of Jordan