West meets East in genetics of ankylosing spondylitis

Abstract

West meets East in genetics of ankylosing spondylitis 1 | INTRODUC TI ONAnkylosingspondylitis(AS),asubtypeofseronegativespondyloarthropathy,isacommoninflammatorydiseasethataffectsthespine and sacroiliac joints of the pelvis, resulting in pain, stiffness, and eventually, joint fusion. A recent worldwide epidemiological study foundthattheprevalenceofASwas23.8,31.9,and16.7per10 000 in Europe, North America, and Asia, respectively (Figure 1A). 1 AlthoughtheetiologyofASremainstobeelucidated,geneticand environmental factors are suspected to play a role. Interestingly, therewasanotableassociationbetweenthepresenceofimmuno-globulinA(IgA)andIgGantibodiesagainstKlebsiella pneumoniae and theoccurrenceofASincomparisontoindividualswithoutAS. 2 Itis reported that the gut microbiome of AS patients was notably differentfromthatofhealthycontrols. 3,4 Thisdiscussionwillprimarily focus on the existing available genetic data and will make genetic comparisonsbetweenEastAsianandCaucasianpopulationsregard-ingAS.