What counselling do patients with ankylosing spondylitis receive? Results of a questionnaire survey.
This questionnaire survey of 71 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (members of the National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society of the UK) revealed that a substantial proportion of patients were apparently not told of several aspects of their illness by their doctors such as likely cause(s), familial clustering, role of HLA tissue typing and diet (appropriately). Only a small percentage (4.2%) were counselled to actively seek screening for close family members. As HLA B27 presence is not diagnostic of ankylosing spondylitis, and it cannot be prevented or arrested even if diagnosed at onset or early stages, routine screening of close family members cannot be justified at present.
Pal
B
B
Department of Rheumatology, South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust, Withington Hospital, West Didsbury, UK.
D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003376:Counseling; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006306:Health Surveys; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011897:Random Allocation; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D006680:HLA Antigens