HLA B27 in Blacks with Ankylosing Spondylitis or Reiter's Disease

Abstract

To the Editor: In the course of histocompatibility typing in ankylosing spondylitis and Reiter 's disease, we have found the B27 antigen (new terminology for W27) to have a lower frequency among black than among white patients. Prerequisites for inclusion in the series with ankylosing spondylitis are radiographic Grade III sacroiliac involvement (New York criteria) in addition to back pain and limitation of motion. Seven patients with ankylosing spondylitis (all whites) also had Crohn's disease. There were no patients with ulcerative colitis or psoriasis. The diagnosis of Reiter's disease is based on standard clinical criteria; both the white and . . .