Human leukocyte antigen-B*2705 is the predominant subtype in the Korean population with ankylosing spondylitis, unlike in other Asians.

This study was performed to investigate the frequency of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 subtypes in the Korean population with spondyloarthropathy (SpA). We determined the HLA subtypes of 267 SpA patients who were positive for the B27 antigen (as determined by serology) by using a PEL-FREEZ kit (Dynal Biotech, Wisconsin, USA). Clinical features, including sex, peripheral joint involvement, and the presence of uveitis, were analyzed in a retrospective cohort study. Among 267 patients, 244 were B*2705-positive and 22 were B*2704-positive. One patient was positive for B*2704/2705. No other subtype was observed among the analyzed patients. We found that HLA-B*2705 was the predominant subtype in Koreans with SpA; this finding is remarkable because other Asians such as the Han or the Japanese exclusively have the B*2704 subtype. This result suggests that the clinical features and prevalence of SpA in Koreans may be similar to those observed in Europeans.