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[HLA-B27 in Bechterew's disease]
1Avdeling for mikrobiologi og immunologi, Gades Institutt, Haukeland Sykehus, Bergen.
Background:
The role of HLA-B27 in rheumatic disease is reviewed.
Material And Methods:
The PubMed database was searched for the code words HLA-B27, ankylosing spondylitis, or their combinations. The diagnostic value of HLA-B27 for ankylosing spondylitis was calculated using Bayes' theorem.
Results:
It is still not clear whether HLA-B27 is a contributing causal factor for ankylosing spondylitis and reactive arthritis. Knowledge of a patient's HLA-B27 status for establishing prognostic information is of uncertain clinical value.
Interpretation:
Knowledge of HLA-B27 status has limited diagnostic value. HLA-B27 status is clinically most informative when the test result is negative, as ankylosing spondylitis can be ruled out.