The prevalence of spondyloarthropathy (SpA) in Chinese Indonesians is much
higher than in native Indonesians. This is due to HLA-B27 subtype differenc
es. In the present study we re-examined the clinical features of SpA in Ind
onesians to see whether, besides the HLA-B27 subtype differences, other fac
tors affect the frequency of SpA Seventy two patients with SpA were re-exam
ined. The patients came from two clinics for rheumatic diseases. The overal
l entry ratio of Chinese to native Indonesians was 1:2. Ankylosing spondyli
tis (AS) was more frequent among the Chinese (n = 32, 94% B27 positive) tha
n among the native Indonesians (n = 5, 40% B27 positive). HLA-B27 subtyping
was performed on 22 of the 37 HLA-B27-positive AS patients. Twenty Chinese
were positive for B*2704 and two native Indonesians were B*2705 positive.
The clinical features of AS and reactive arthritis (ReA) showed no differen
ces between the two populations and were similar to the clinical descriptio
ns in other parts of the world. In conclusion, it can be stated that in spi
te of HLA-B27 subtype differences the clinical features of SpA in Chinese a
nd native Indonesians are fully comparable.