A member asked:

I have family history of ankylosis spondylitis ..what are the tests to do to know if i'm going to have this disease or not..?

4 doctors weighed in across 2 answers

Blood test: There is a blood test (hla-b27) that correlates with ankylosing spondylitis, but it is not perfect: some with as are negative, and some people with positive test do not have as. History, examine and a pelvic x-ray may make the diagnosis (or not). Talk to your doctor or see a rheumatologist.

Answered 11/20/2013

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Do not test: I do not encourage people get tested unless they have symptoms. The blood test one does is to check for the presence of the hla-b27 antigen. However, if you do inherit this gene, there is only about 1 30% chance of developing a disease associated with the gene. Finally disease associated with the gene are not less common in females than in males.

Answered 11/25/2013

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