Spondyloarthritis – Associated Hla-b Phenotypes in Northeastern Romania Population

Aim: The aim of our survey was to identify spondyloarthritis – associated to HLA -B phenotypes in the population from north-eastern part of Romania. Genetic (HLA or nonHLA genes) and infectious factors are involved in determining spondyloarthritis susceptibility and severity. The most frequent association is with HLA-B27 antigen, but the extent of association of this antigen with spondyloarthritis depends on the ethnical and geographical context of the population investigated. Patients and method: HLA-B antigens were determined using the CDC-NIH (complementdependentcytotoxicityNational Institute of Health) assay. We compared the frequency of HLA-B antigens expression in the study group, consisting of 40 spondyloarthritis patients (35 with ankylosing spondilitis) and the control group, including 100 healthy people. Results and conclusions: HLA-B27, HLA-B7 and HLA-B35 antigens were expressed more frequently in patients with spondyloarthritis compared to controls. The difference was statistically significant for HLA-B27 and HLA-B7 antigens (p = 0.009 and p = 0.041). Although HLA-B35 was present in 31.4% of the patients it did not involve a significant risk for developing ankylosing spondilitis compared to controls (p = 0.445).