Understanding how human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecule B27 promotes spondyloarthritis has intrigued researchers for four decades. Although the association between the single gene variant HLA-B27—specifically some of its subtypes—with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is particularly strong, how HLA-B27 directly influences disease development has not yet been clearly explained, although hypotheses continue to be generated….
HLA-B27 may be a phenotypic expression of axial spondyloarthritis (SpA), according to a large international study. The study found patients with axial SpA who were positive for HLA-B27 had more severe radiographic damage than those who were negative for HLA-B27, and three quarters of study patients with ankylosis spondyloarthritis were HLA-B27 positive.
New research clarifies terminology used for diagnosis, but questions remain around epidemiology, genetics and management of patients with axial skeletal inflammation
First Appearances I watched the old man, his back painfully bent, shuffle toward the scale. A blocky rigidity draped over him. His feet seemed stuck to the floor. His head hung heavily over his chest. Observing him from the end of the hallway, instead of a face, I saw only a mound of shaggy, matted…