Clinical diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis in women and relation to presence of HLA-B27.

Thirty-nine Caucasian women with definite or probable ankylosing spondylitis were tissue typed and the radiographic and clinical features were correlated with the presence of B27 (formerly W27). This investigation showed that the same strong positive correlation observed in men obtains in women between B27 and unequivocal radiographic changes. As such changes develop slowly in women, clinical and laboratory features were identified which were sufficiently characteristic to enable the diagnosis to be reached in advance of decreased spinal mobility. Immobility pain and stiffness and bilateral sacroiliac pain are the most characteristic features, but additional support is provided by the presence of any of the following: onset by age 30, a raised sedimentation rate, peripheral joint involvement, circumthoracic pain, family history, and iritis.