The Rarity of Ankylosing Spondylitis in the Black Race

Ankylosing spondylitis is apparently rare in the black race. Data collected from Veterans Administration hospitals in different geographic areas of the United States indicates an overall frequency of the disease in black Afro‐Americans to be about 25% of that seen in whites. A review of the literature from the Americas and Africa confirms its uncommon occurrence. A postulated inheritance pattern may depend on multigenic factors.