A Study on the Incidence & Clinical Profile of Subsets of Spondyloarthritis and Its Association with Hla-b27

Objective: To study the incidence, clinical profile & HLA association of subsets of spondyloarthritis patients in eastern India. Results: Ankylosing spondylitis(AS) constitutes maximum number of cases followed by undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy(USpA) and others. 59% of AS cases presented with both axial & peripheral arthritis whereas 41% have only axial presentation. Reactive arthritis (ReA) cases had only peripheral involvement of 87.5%. Enthesitis was seen in 41.3%, 72%,75% cases of AS, USpA, & ReA groups respectively. HLAB27 was positive in 88.3% of AS and 78.3% of USpA & 60% of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) cases. But only 50% positive in ReA & inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) associated arthritis groups. Conclusion: our study suggests a strong association of HLA-B27 with the subsets of spondyloarthritis. HLA Typing would help in the diagnosis of spondyloarthritis mainly ankylosing spondylitis where clinical features are unclear and it can help in identifying the family members who are at risk.