Validation of the Tunisian versions of Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) and Disease Activity Index (BASDAI).

Background: The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) and the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity (BASDAI) are the most commonly used instruments to evaluate respectively functioning and disease activity in ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Objective: The aim of this study was to translate, adapt and validate these instruments into the Tunisian language.

Methods: The studied population consisted of 68 AS patients (59 males and 9 females).

HLA-B, DR and DQ antigens polymorphism in Tunisian patients with ankylosing spondylitis (a case-control study).

The objective of the study is to assess the distribution of HLA-B genes, HLA-B27 subtypes, HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and in control subjects in the Tunisian population and to compare their distribution with that found in other countries. This is a case-control study that included 100 consecutive patients (85 males/15 females) with AS according to the modified New York criteria and 100 control individuals. HLA-B, B27 subtypes and class II (DR and DQ) typing of all subjects was performed by polymerase chain reaction amplification with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP).