HL-A as a diagnostic aid in incomplete rheumatic syndromes.

Incomplete Reiter's syndrome (ICRS) and incomplete Behçet's disease (ICBD) have many similar clinical features, making the diagnosis difficult. The association of RS and BD with different HL-A antigens is a help in differentiating between the two diseases. Eight patients with incomplete rheumatic syndrome are described. The results of HL-A typing suggest that five patients had incomplete RS and the other three incomplete BD. The value of tissue typing in the correct diagnosis of incomplete rheumatic syndrome is stressed.