Hey, I'm touched that you researched this a bit on my behalf! Actually, I am well aware that the test is merely an indicator, not a diagnostic tool. It is currently held that only around 20 percent of folks who test HLA B27 positive develop AS. Moreover, a certain number of individuals who display different abnormalities, or even no detectable abnormality at all, still develop AS, or something similar. With HLA B27, doctors are NOT testing for absence or presence; EVERYBODY has HLA B27, what is determined is the NEGATIVE or POSITIVE aspect of the antigen. What was a bit frustrating yesterday, and surprising even to the Rheumatologist, was that the test came back neither - nor +: It came back UNKNOWN. So the result was useless not only as a diagnostic tool, but also as an indicator. I was wondering what could cause an UNKNOWN?
