Clinical features of spondyloarthropathy in Chinese and native Indonesians

The prevalence of spondyloarthropathy (SpA) in Chinese Indonesians is much higher than in native Indonesians. This is due to HLA-B27 subtype differences. In the present study we re-examined the clinical features of SpA in Indonesians to see whether, besides the HLA-B27 subtype differences, other factors affect the frequency of SpA. Seventy two patients with SpA were re-examined. The patients came from two clinics for rheumatic diseases. The overall entry ratio of Chinese to native Indonesians was 1:2. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) was more frequent among the Chinese (n = 32, 94% B27 positive) than among the native Indonesians (n = 5, 40% B27 positive). HLA-B27 subtyping was performed on 22 of the 37 HLA-B27-positive AS patients. Twenty Chinese were positive for B*2704 and two native Indonesians were B*2705 positive. The clinical features of AS and reactive arthritis (ReA) showed no differences between the two populations and were similar to the clinical descriptions in other parts of the world. In conclusion, it can be stated that in spite of HLA-B27 subtype differences the clinical features of SpA in Chinese and native Indonesians are fully comparable.