Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • First Release
    • Current
    • Archives
    • Collections
    • Audiovisual Rheum
    • COVID-19 and Rheumatology
  • Resources
    • Guide for Authors
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Payment
    • Reviewers
    • Advertisers
    • Classified Ads
    • Reprints and Translations
    • Permissions
    • Meetings
    • FAQ
    • Policies
  • Subscribers
    • Subscription Information
    • Purchase Subscription
    • Your Account
    • Terms and Conditions
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Letter from the Editor
    • Duncan A. Gordon Award
    • Privacy/GDPR Policy
    • Accessibility
  • Contact Us
  • JRheum Supplements
  • Services

User menu

  • My Cart
  • Log In

Search

  • Advanced search
The Journal of Rheumatology
  • JRheum Supplements
  • Services
  • My Cart
  • Log In
The Journal of Rheumatology

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • First Release
    • Current
    • Archives
    • Collections
    • Audiovisual Rheum
    • COVID-19 and Rheumatology
  • Resources
    • Guide for Authors
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Payment
    • Reviewers
    • Advertisers
    • Classified Ads
    • Reprints and Translations
    • Permissions
    • Meetings
    • FAQ
    • Policies
  • Subscribers
    • Subscription Information
    • Purchase Subscription
    • Your Account
    • Terms and Conditions
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Letter from the Editor
    • Duncan A. Gordon Award
    • Privacy/GDPR Policy
    • Accessibility
  • Contact Us
  • Follow jrheum on Twitter
  • Visit jrheum on Facebook
  • Follow jrheum on LinkedIn
  • Follow jrheum on YouTube
  • Follow jrheum on Instagram
  • Follow jrheum on RSS
Research ArticlePediatric Rheumatology

HLA-B27 Predicts a More Extended Disease with Increasing Age at Onset in Boys with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

LILLEMOR BERNTSON, MICHAEL DAMGÅRD, BOEL ANDERSSON-GÄRE, TROELS HERLIN, SUSAN NIELSEN, ELLEN NORDAL, MARITE RYGG, MAREK ZAK and ANDERS FASTH
The Journal of Rheumatology October 2008, 35 (10) 2055-2061;
LILLEMOR BERNTSON
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: lillemor.berntson@telia.com
MICHAEL DAMGÅRD
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
BOEL ANDERSSON-GÄRE
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
TROELS HERLIN
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
SUSAN NIELSEN
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
ELLEN NORDAL
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
MARITE RYGG
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
MAREK ZAK
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
ANDERS FASTH
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
  • eLetters
PreviousNext
Loading

Abstract

Objective

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a heterogeneous condition with very few clinical and laboratory signs that can help predict the course and severity of the disease in the individual patient. The cell-surface antigen HLA-B27 is well known to be associated with spondyloarthropathies, reactive arthritis, and enthesitis. HLA-B27 plays an important role in the classification of JIA, since evidence of sacroiliitis most often evolves after years of arthritis in other joints. We investigated the associations of HLA-B27 and the clinical manifestations of JIA using a method as close to a population-based study as possible.

Methods

We studied an incidence-based cohort of 305 patients collected prospectively in 3 Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark). Clinical and serological data of the first 3 years of the disease were collected.

Results

HLA-B27 was found to be positive in 25.5% of the patients, and we found a higher proportion of HLA-B27-positive boys with older age at disease onset (p = 0.034). Regression analysis showed a correlation of 0.7 in the HLA-B27-positive boys, pointing to a higher risk of more joint involvement with older age at disease onset. By Fisher’s exact test, involvement of small joints in the lower extremities was associated with HLA-B27 in boys (p = 0.011), but not in girls (p = 0.687). HLA-B27 was associated with inflammatory back pain in both sexes (p = 0.041 in boys, p = 0.042 in girls), but with enthesitis only in boys (p < 0.001 in boys, p = 0.708 in girls).

Conclusion

HLA-B27 is of increasing importance with older age at disease onset in boys with JIA, predicting more active joints within the first 3 years of disease, and also involving small joints in the lower extremity to a greater degree than in HLA-B27-negative boys. During the first 3 years of disease the occurrence of HLA-B27 is associated with inflammatory back pain in both sexes, but with enthesitis only in boys. Our data present new challenges for the ILAR classification of JIA.

Key Indexing Terms:
  • JUVENILE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
  • GENETICS
  • HLA-B27
  • CHILD
  • JOINTS

Footnotes

  • L. Berntson, MD, PhD, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Uppsala University Children’s Hospital; M. Damgård, MD, Department of Pediatrics, Falun Hospital; B. Andersson Gäre, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, Ryhov County Hospital; T. Herlin, MD, PhD, Århus University Hospital; S. Nielsen, MD, University Clinic of Pediatrics II, Rigshospitalet; E. Nordal, MD, Institute of Clinical Medicine/Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, and Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of North Norway; M. Rygg, MD, PhD, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children’s and Women’s Health, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and Department of Pediatrics, St. Olavs Hospital; M. Zak, MD, University Clinic of Pediatrics II, Rigshospitalet; A. Fasth, MD, PhD, Professor of Pediatric Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Göteborg University.

  • Supported by grants from the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Uppsala University Children’s Hospital, Uppsala, The Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital, Göteborg, and the Dalarna Clinical Research Institute, Falun, Sweden; and the Swedish Rheumatism Association and King Gustaf V 80th Jubilee Fund.

    • Accepted for publication May 26, 2008.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

The Journal of Rheumatology
Vol. 35, Issue 10
1 Oct 2008
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by Author
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about The Journal of Rheumatology.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
HLA-B27 Predicts a More Extended Disease with Increasing Age at Onset in Boys with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from The Journal of Rheumatology
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the The Journal of Rheumatology web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
HLA-B27 Predicts a More Extended Disease with Increasing Age at Onset in Boys with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
LILLEMOR BERNTSON, MICHAEL DAMGÅRD, BOEL ANDERSSON-GÄRE, TROELS HERLIN, SUSAN NIELSEN, ELLEN NORDAL, MARITE RYGG, MAREK ZAK, ANDERS FASTH
The Journal of Rheumatology Oct 2008, 35 (10) 2055-2061;

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero

 Request Permissions

Share
HLA-B27 Predicts a More Extended Disease with Increasing Age at Onset in Boys with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
LILLEMOR BERNTSON, MICHAEL DAMGÅRD, BOEL ANDERSSON-GÄRE, TROELS HERLIN, SUSAN NIELSEN, ELLEN NORDAL, MARITE RYGG, MAREK ZAK, ANDERS FASTH
The Journal of Rheumatology Oct 2008, 35 (10) 2055-2061;
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

  • Article
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
  • eLetters

Related Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

  • Use of EuroLupus Cyclophosphamide Dosing for the Treatment of Lupus Nephritis in Childhood-onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in North America
  • Profiling Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms in Children Undergoing Treatment for Spondyloarthritis and Polyarthritis
  • Consensus Approach to a Treat-to-target Strategy in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Care: Report From the 2020 PR-COIN Consensus Conference
Show more Pediatric Rheumatology

Similar Articles

Content

  • First Release
  • Current
  • Archives
  • Collections
  • Audiovisual Rheum
  • COVID-19 and Rheumatology

Resources

  • Guide for Authors
  • Submit Manuscript
  • Author Payment
  • Reviewers
  • Advertisers
  • Classified Ads
  • Reprints and Translations
  • Permissions
  • Meetings
  • FAQ
  • Policies

Subscribers

  • Subscription Information
  • Purchase Subscription
  • Your Account
  • Terms and Conditions

More

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • My Alerts
  • My Folders
  • Privacy/GDPR Policy
  • RSS Feeds
The Journal of Rheumatology
The content of this site is intended for health care professionals.
Copyright © 2022 by The Journal of Rheumatology Publishing Co. Ltd.
Print ISSN: 0315-162X; Online ISSN: 1499-2752
Powered by HighWire