Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are interrelated disorders. To date, no study has compared the differences of genes between patients with PsA and psoriasis and healthy controls in a Chinese population. We conducted a retrospective study to determine the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) -A, -B, -Cw, -DR, and -DQ alleles in Chinese patients with PsA and psoriasis.HLA studies were performed using polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific oligonucleotide (PCR-SSO) genotyping methods in 91 patients with PsA and 80 with psoriasis and 75 controls. Age at disease onset, sex, disease duration, enthesitis, and uveitis were also analyzed.Among the patients with PsA and psoriasis, the frequency of HLA-B27 was significantly higher in PsA and HLA-A*30, -Cw*06, -DR*07 in psoriasis compared with controls. In contrast, HLA-B*58 was more common in controls than in PsA and psoriasis groups, and the prevalence of HLA-DR*17 was significantly higher in controls than in those with psoriasis. Comparing PsA and psoriasis, the prevalence of HLA-B*27 and HLA-Cw*12 were more common in PsA patients, while the prevalence of HLA-DR*07 was higher in those with psoriasis (p < 0.05). Among PsA patients, the association between HLA-B*27 and axial joint involvement and uveitis was significant (p < 0.05).Certain HLA alleles are found in Chinese patients with psoriasis (HLA-A*30, -Cw*06, -DR*07) and PsA (HLA-B*27). Psoriasis patients with the HLA-B*27 and/or -Cw*12 may have higher risk of developing PsA. Ours is the first study to assess the genetic role of HLA in patients with psoriasis and PsA in a Chinese population.