Ankylosing spondylitis risk factors

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Risk Factors

Variations of the HLA-B gene increase the risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis, although it is not a diagnostic test. Those with the HLA-B27 variant are at highest risk of developing the disorder. HLA-B27, demonstrated in a blood test, is occasionally used as a diagnostic, but does not distinguish AS from other diseases and is therefore not of real diagnostic value. Over 95% of people with AS are HLA-B27 positive, although this ratio varies from population to population (only 50% of African American patients with AS possess HLA-B27, and it is close to 80% among AS patients from Mediterranean countries).