Distribution of HLA-B27 alleles in patients with ankylosing spondylitis in Iran

HLA-B*27 is strongly associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). It represents a family of alleles that differ among ethnic groups. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of HLA-B*27 alleles in AS patients and healthy controls in Isfahan (Iran). Sixty AS patients and 430 healthy blood donors were selected. All subjects were HLA-B*27 positive by flow cytometry. HLA-B*27 subtypes were determined by PCR-SSP. Forty patients (66.7%) and 17 controls (3.95%) were HLA-B*27 positive. Subtypes detected by PCR-SSP were B*2705, B*2702, B*2704 and B*2707. One patient was B*2702/B*2710. No significant difference was found in the distribution of these alleles between AS patients and controls. Although Caucasian subtypes are predominant among Iranians, this population is characterized by a combination of both specific Caucasian and Oriental subtypes. However such results should be interpreted carefully because of the small sample size in our investigation and definitive conclusion awaits more ethnic-group studies.