Dutch patients with familial and sporadic ankylosing spondylitis do not differ in disease phenotype.
OBJECTIVE
To assess potential differences in the phenotypic expression between familial and sporadic ankylosing spondylitis (AS).


METHODS
Clinical data from the patient record forms were compared between 55 patients with AS from multicase families (i.e., families in which > or = 2 first-degree relatives have the disease) (familial AS) and 110 sex and age matched patients with AS who did not have a first-degree relative with the disease (sporadic AS).


RESULTS
Between familial and sporadic AS no differences were found in age at disease onset, age at diagnosis, or prevalences of peripheral arthritis and acute anterior uveitis.


CONCLUSIONS
Potential differences in genetic makeup are not reflected in differences in the phenotypic expression of familial and sporadic AS.
Paardt
Marcel van der
Mv
Jan van Breemen Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Dijkmans
Ben
B
Giltay
Erik
E
van der Horst-Bruinsma
Irene
I
D000328:Adult; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D010641:Phenotype; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology*