Spondyloarthritis & psoriatic arthritis
HLA-B27 Testing in Clinical Practice: A Retrospective Analysis of Testing Indications and Rheumatology Referral Patterns
Authors' conclusion
Nearly half of HLA-B27-positive patients were not referred to rheumatology.
Study context
- Population
- All adult patients tested for HLA-B27 from January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022, in the Mass General Brigham healthcare system62.4% female
- Participants
- 1,960 patients
- Exposure
- HLA-B27-positive vs HLA-B27-negative patients
- Outcome
- Rate of rheumatology referral, HLA-B27-positive vs HLA-B27-negative
Methodological detailssingle healthcare system
- Single healthcare system
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Referral to rheumatology
P = 0.002
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Ordering specialty (most common)
- Rheumatology
- 39.7%
- Ophthalmology
- 21.4%
Testing indication (most common)
- Peripheral arthritis
- 33%
- Uveitis
- 22%
- Back pain
- 16.7%
HLA-B27 ordered concurrently with other autoantibody tests
- Concurrent testing
- 69.3%
HLA-B27 positivity
- All tested patients
- 11%
- Ophthalmology (highest positive rate by specialty)
- 15.4%
- Reactive arthritis (highest positive rate by indication)
- 50%
Original publication
HLA-B27 Testing in Clinical Practice: A Retrospective Analysis of Testing Indications and Rheumatology Referral Patterns. J Rheumatol. Published 1 June 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →