title: Association of HLA-B27 status and gender with sacroiliitis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the influence of human leucocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27) status and gender on sacroiliitis on computed tomography (CT) in ankylosingspondylitis (AS).
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed the archived medical records of the AS inpatients admitted in the Rheumatology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University during the period from January 2007 through January 2013 and finally 386 patients were included in the study. The severity of sacroiliitis on CT was evaluated according to the grading used in the modified New York criteria for AS. Two-way classification analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to examine the effect of HLA-B27 status and gender on age at disease onset. The impact of HLA-B27 and gender on sacroiliitis on CT was tested by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 350 HLA-B27 positive patients (90.7%) and 36 HLA-B27 negative patients (9.3%). The ANOVA test indicated that HLA-B27 positive patients and male patients respectively had an earlier age at disease onset than HLA-B27 negative patients and female patients. The logistic regression analysis indicated that positive HLA-B27 status (OR 2.601, p=0.004) and male gender (OR 1.923, p=0.004) were significant predictors of worse sacroiliitis. In addition, elevated ESR (OR 2.181, p=0.013) and longer disease duration (OR 1.100, p<0.001) contributed to worse sacroiliitis likewise.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Positive HLA-B27 status and male gender are associated with worse sacroiliitis on CT, acting as predictors of sacroiliitis. Elevated ESR and longer disease duration also contribute to worse sacroiliitis. Meanwhile, positive HLA-B27 status and male gender are associated with earlier age at disease onset.
authors.affiliation: Jiangbiao Xiong, Department of Rheumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, PR China.
authors.forename: Jiangbiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: Jing Chen, Department of Rheumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, PR China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Jianxin Tu, Department of Rheumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, PR China.
authors.forename: Jianxin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: Wenjing Ye, Department of Rheumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, PR China.
authors.forename: Wenjing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Zhiyong Zhang, Department of Rheumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhiyong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Qiaoqiong Liu, Department of Rheumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, PR China.
authors.forename: Qiaoqiong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Xiaochun Zhu, Department of Rheumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325035, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiaochun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
keywords: Ankylosing spondylitis; Computed tomography; Gender; HLA-B27; Sacroiliitis