title: Non-HLA genes in ankylosing spondylitis: what meta-analyses have shown?
abstract: HLA-B27 association with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is one of the strongest ever reported in the literature. However, only a small proportion of 5-8% of HLA-B27 positive individuals of the general population develops the disease. In recent years, polymorphisms of many non-HLA genes were reported to be associated with AS. In this review, we summarise the current knowledge of non-HLA genetic factors contributing to AS susceptibility based on meta-analyses in order to overcome the limitations of individual genetic studies e.g. the small samples' sizes, the small samples' origin diversities, and the low statistical power of statistical analyses.
authors: Laboratory of General Biology and Genetics, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. chatzikyra@yahoo.com.
authors: Anthoula
authors: A
authors: Chatzikyriakidou
authors: Paraskevi V
authors: PV
authors: Voulgari
authors: Alexandros A
authors: AA
authors: Drosos
mesh_terms: D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D010641:Phenotype; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology