MATERNAL AGE INFLUENCES RISK FOR HLA-B27 ASSOCIATED ANKYLOSING ENTHESOPATHY IN TRANSGENIC MICE

Objective-To study further the temporal clustering of ankylosing enthe sopathy (AE) noted originally during a study of the influence of mouse major histocompatibility complex (MHC) H-2 and transgenic HLA-B27 on the frequency of AE. Methods-The relationship between maternal age at littering and frequency of AE was analysed. Results-Mice born to mothe rs aged eight months or older had a significantly lower disease freque ncy of AE than mice born to mothers younger than eight months of age. This phenomenon was observed in three independent cohorts evaluated to date (p < 0.01, 0.025, and 0.05). Conclusion-Maternal age is a novel, nongenetic risk factor as defined in relation to an MHC associated en thesopathy. Its mode of action and relevance to human disease require further investigation.