Forming a biological sample pool with the aim of determining potential genetic factors and roles for the Turkish patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis

Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), which mostly occures at younger ages and affects the sarcoiliac joints mainly situated between the last part of the spinal column and pelvic bones, is an inflammatory rheumatic disease. The disease(AS) most often emerges at the 20-40 age group and is 10 times more common in males than females. Although the cause in the disease of AS is exactly unknown, there are scientific findings indicating effects of the genetic factors.The strong relationship between AS and HLA-B27 was first described in 1973. The positive HLA-B27 test results are found in 90% of the patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis in Northern Europen and the USA. And HLA-B27 test is positively determined in 70-80% of the patients with AS in our country. Identification of the molecular mechanisms underlying the relationship between AS and the disease willenable, accurate, and rapid diagnosis and provide for the creation of more effective treatments . Creating the patient samples biobank is very important to investigate the etiopathogenetic mechanisms at the moleculer levels. The large number of the biological samples processed correctly in appropriate conditions are required. In our study, a DNA biobank was created from whole blood with EDTA obtained from the AS patients and the volunteers. This database includes also some demographic informations of the patients with AS and the volunteer, such as sex, race, age, employment status, place of residence, and the clinical informations. Our biobank will be important source to the study investigating the moleculer mechanisms of the disease, AS. KeyWords:AnkylosingSpondylitis,HLA-B27,biobank