Histocompatibility antigens in Osgood-Schlatter disease

Eighteen unrelated children (12 boys and six girls) with Osgood-Schlatter disease (OSD) were evaluated by history, physical examination, and histocompatibility antigen [human leukocyte antigen (HLA)] determination. Four boys and two girls had pain at sites other than the tibial tuberosity. By history, other related individuals with a diagnosis of OSD were found in six of the 18 families. The distributions of HLA antigens (A, B, and DR) were not demonstrably abnormal. The similarity of OSD and enthesitis accompanying HLA-B27-associated arthropathy may cause diagnostic difficulty. The lack of an association between OSD and HLA-B27 may be of assistance in differentiating the two disorders.