PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Mierau, R
AU  - von Mühlen, C A
AU  - Zarnowski, H
AU  - Genth, E
AU  - Hartl, P W
TI  - Immunoglobulin allotype Gm(1,2;21) in ankylosing spondylitis with peripheral arthritis.
AID  - 10.1136/ard.47.11.893
DP  - 1988 Nov 01
TA  - Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
PG  - 893--897
VI  - 47
IP  - 11
4099  - http://ard.bmj.com/content/47/11/893.short
4100  - http://ard.bmj.com/content/47/11/893.full
SO  - Ann Rheum Dis1988 Nov 01; 47
AB  - Frequencies of immunoglobulin G (Gm) allotypes were determined in 240 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The uncommon phenotype Gm(1,2;21) was increased in frequency in 55 patients with AS and peripheral arthritis (14.5% v 3.5% of healthy blood donors; p less than 0.05). In 16 patients with arthritis only of wrist/hand or ankle/forefoot, or both, the Gm(1,2;21) frequency was even higher (31.3%; p less than 0.0005). Patients with AS negative for the HLA antigen B27 (n = 28) differed from the B27 positive patients (n = 205) with regard to the frequency of the Gm(1,2,3;5,21) phenotype (39.3% v 9.3%; p less than 0.0005). These findings support the notion of genetic heterogeneity among patients with AS.