Demographic and immunological status of Seronegative HLAB27 patients in Central India -A prospective study

Introduction: HLA B27 is a class I major histocompatibility antigen, which can cause susceptibility to several diseases, including ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis (Reiter's syndrome), inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis. Aim and Objective: The present study aims to analyse the demographic and immunological status of seronegative HLAB27 patients in Central India. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to measure the prevalence of HLAB27 positive cases in Central India among seronegative spondyloarthritis (SSA) patients. HLAB27 was analysed by Real time PCR. Demographic and inflammatory marker status were compared with HLAB27-status. Result:  A total of 688 cases of SSA were included in this study from June 2023 to February 2024. Among these, 103 were positive (15%) for HLA B27 on the basis of Real time PCR analysis. Males had a higher prevalence than females in the HLA-B27 positive group (62.1% vs. 37.9%). Among referred 66 juvenile SSA cases, 27 were positive for HLAB27 by PCR (41%) with the highest positivity rate observed among juvenile male patients (55.5%). Both ESR and CRP were found to be higher among juvenile cases. Conclusions:  HLA-B27 by PCR can be an indicator for seronegative SpA cases and is recommended to both suspected adults and children to minimise the multiple medical visits and diagnoses.