[HL-A, W 27 and serum amino-acids in ankylosing spondylitis (author's transl)]

Tests for HL-A, W 27 were positive in eight of twelve patients with ankylosing spondylitis. The four negative cases, among them three members of the same family, had a different antigen pattern. Also positive were two cases with Reiter's disease. Semi-quantitative determination of serum levels of aminoacids in this group gave an increased alanine concentration in all but two instances. Leucine and valine levels were also raised, but less characteristically than alanine. These immunogenetic studies enrich diagnostic possibilities in clinical medicine, in addition to suggesting a possible common aetiology and(or) pathogenesis of Reiterś disease and ankylosing spondylitis. The significance of quantitative amino-acid modifications is not clear.