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Turk J Med Sci 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Aim: Seronegative spondyloarthropathies (SpA) are a group of chronic diseases, characterized by axial inflammation, oligoarthritis, and enthesitis. Oxidative stress may contribute to a wide range of diseases such as rheumatologic diseases including SpA. This prospective case-control study was designed to compare the thiol-disulfide levels as a marker of oxidative stress in SpA patients with healthy controls. Read More

Musculoskeletal Care 2020 Sep 18. Epub 2020 Sep 18.

College of Health and Biomedicine, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.

Background And Purpose: This study explored the psychological impact of living with chronic pain as a result of ankylosing spondylitis or undifferentiated spondyloarthritis. The aim was to investigate individual's current pain experience and their current psychological state.

Methods: A total of 161 individuals who had a clinical diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis or undifferentiated spondyloarthritis participated in an online survey. Read More

Clin Exp Rheumatol 2021 May-Jun;39(3):660-667. Epub 2020 Sep 4.

Division of Rheumatology, University of Ioannina Medical School, Greece.

Objectives: Several epidemiologic studies of spondylarthritis (SpA) and its subtypes have been reported during the last decades. The majority of these studies provided prevalence estimates and showed a considerable variation in the reported frequency of SpA subtypes. Most systematic reviews published in this field aimed to summarise the results of prevalence studies, however, incidence studies are important for an accurate picture of a disease occurrence in a defined population. Read More

Clin Rheumatol 2020 Nov 27;39(11):3195-3204. Epub 2020 Aug 27.

Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Immuno-Endocrine Section of Internal Medicine, Laboratory of Primary Human Cells, School of Medicine, University of Pisa, Via Savi, 10, I-56126, Pisa, Italy.

Introduction: Covid-19 infection poses a serious challenge for immune-compromised patients with inflammatory autoimmune systemic diseases. We investigated the clinical-epidemiological findings of 1641 autoimmune systemic disease Italian patients during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Method: This observational multicenter study included 1641 unselected patients with autoimmune systemic diseases from three Italian geographical areas with different prevalence of Covid-19 [high in north (Emilia Romagna), medium in central (Tuscany), and low in south (Calabria)] by means of telephone 6-week survey. Read More

Clin Rheumatol 2020 Aug 27;39(8):2299-2306. Epub 2020 Feb 27.

Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Centre Split, Split, Croatia.

Objective: To investigate possible association between sacroiliitis and HLA-B*35 positivity.

Method: After excluding patients with axial spondyloarthritis and HLA-B*27 positivity, psoriasis inflammatory bowel disease, preceding infections, or juvenile type of spondyloarthritis, 110 patients were recruited with a diagnosis of undifferentiated axial spondyloarthritis. All of them had inflammatory back pain of short duration (3 months to 2 years) and 72 were HLA-B*35 positive. Read More

Rheumatol Int 2020 Mar 4;40(3):359-366. Epub 2019 Dec 4.

Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200, Aarhus N, Denmark.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and undifferentiated spondylarthritis (uSpA) are related inflammatory diseases affecting the spine and joints with infections among possible etiological factors. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) may affect the development of inflammatory diseases. Read More

Rheumatol Int 2019 Sep 24;39(9):1607-1614. Epub 2019 Jul 24.

Divison of Rheumatology, Rush University Medical Center, 1161 West Harrison Street, Suite 510, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.

Uveitis may represent an opportunity to diagnose spondyloarthropathies (SpA) earlier and influence treatment decisions. We describe the percentage of acute anterior uveitis (AAU) in a diverse group of SpA patients seen at one academic setting and compare demographic and clinical characteristics according to the presence of uveitis. We conducted a retrospective study of patients with SpA and AAU (January 2016-June 2017). Read More

Clin Exp Rheumatol 2019 Jul-Aug;37(4):649-655. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Rheumatology Unit, University of Bari, Italy.

Objectives: To determine the incidence of serious infections (SIs) among the spondyloarthropathy (SpA) patients from the "Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio delle Early Arthritis" (GISEA) registry and treated with tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors (TNFIs), and to identify the factors associated with the development of the infections.

Methods: This observational study on 3321 GISEA-registered SpA patients collected real-world demographic and clinical data relating to their biological drug treatments. The overall incidence of infections was analysed by type of SpA. Read More

Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 2017 12 25;31(6):846-862. Epub 2018 Oct 25.

Oxford Eye Hospital, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Uveitis is a frequently occurring extra-articular manifestation of spondyloarthropathies (SpAs), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), reactive arthritis (ReA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), occurring in both adults and children with SpA. Uveitis occurs with varying frequency according to the SpA subtype (33% in AS, 6-9% in PsA, 25% in ReA, 13% in undifferentiated SpA and 2-5% in IBD), the presence of HLA-B27 and with increasing duration of disease. The majority of cases of uveitis in SpA are attributed to acute anterior uveitis but a minority of uveitis cases occur in the posterior segment of the eye. Read More

Z Rheumatol 2019 Feb;78(1):31-42

Rheumazentrum Ruhrgebiet, Claudiusstr 45, 44649, Herne, Deutschland.

The classification of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) comprises the classical ankylosing spondylitis (AS), which is characterized by already existing structural changes in the sacroiliac joints, and the so-called non-radiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA), in which by definition such changes are not present. This distinction is based on the ASAS classification criteria for axSpA, which are however not suitable for a diagnosis. According to the current classification, spondyloarthritis (SpA) includes axSpA, which can be associated with psoriasis and/or chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (CED), such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and peripheral SpA, which is further divided into SpA associated with psoriasis, partially synonymous with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), reactive SpA, partially synonymous with reactive arthritis (ReA) and SpA associated with CED, partially synonymous with arthritis associated with CED (e. Read More

J Proteome Res 2019 01 30;18(1):130-146. Epub 2018 Oct 30.

Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University , Lucknow 226025 , India.

Reactive arthritis (ReA) is a member of seronegative spondyloarthropathy (SSA), which involves an acute/subacute onset of asymmetrical lower limb joint inflammation weeks after a genitourinary/gastrointestinal infection. The diagnosis is clinical because it is difficult to culture the microbes from synovial fluid. Arthritis patients with a similar clinical picture but lapsed history of an immediate preceding infection that do not fulfill the diagnostic criteria of other members of SSA, such as ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease, are labeled as peripheral undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy (uSpA). Read More

Rom J Ophthalmol 2018 Apr-Jun;62(2):114-122

Department of Ophthalmology, University Emergency Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.

Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a heterogeneous group of diseases that includes ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), reactive arthritis (ReA), inflammatory bowel disease-associated spondyloarthritis (IBD-SpA), and undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (unSpA). This group of diseases shares several clinical, imaging, and genetic features; the integration of these diseases in the group of SpA is needed for an early diagnosis and a prompt treatment. Uveitis is the most common extra-articular manifestation of SpA. Read More

Curr Opin Ophthalmol 2018 Nov;29(6):552-557

Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, Medical College of Wisconsin Eye Institute, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.

Purpose Of Review: The seronegative spondyloarthropathies are a closely related group of inflammatory diseases that include ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, enteropathic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and undifferentiated spondyloarthritis. This review focuses on the spectrum of ocular manifestations associated with these diseases and the current approaches in treating these ocular manifestations. It also highlights the role ophthalmologists can play in identifying and appropriately treating human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27) associated uveitis and the associated spondyloarthropathies in order to limit ocular and systemic morbidity. Read More

J Rheumatol 2018 06 1;45(6):785-794. Epub 2018 Apr 1.

From the Rheumatology, Clinical Immunology and Allergy Department, Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion; Rheumatology Clinic, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Ioannina; Rheumatology Department, Sismanoglio Hospital; Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University of Athens; Department of Rheumatology, Veterans Administration Hospital; Joint Academic Rheumatology Program, Faculty of Medicine, National and Kapodestrian University of Athens; Fourth Internal Medicine Department, Attikon University Hospital of Athens, Athens; Rheumatology Clinic, General Hospital of Kavala, Kavala; First Department of Internal Medicine, Rheumatology Section, AHEPA Hospital of the Aristotle University Medical School; Rheumatology Department, 424 General Army Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece; Department of Rheumatology, Skȧne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.

Objective: To evaluate the 10-year drug survival of the first tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) administered to patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) overall and comparatively between SpA subsets, and to identify predictors of drug retention.

Methods: Patients with SpA in the Hellenic Registry of Biologic Therapies, a prospective multicenter observational cohort, starting their first TNFi between 2004-2014 were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression models were used. Read More

Scand J Immunol 2018 May;87(5):e12663

Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most prevalent symptomatic type of human primary immunodeficiency diseases (PID). Clinically, CVID is characterized by increased susceptibility to infections and a wide variety of autoimmune and rheumatologic disorders. All patients with CVID registered in Iranian PID Registry (IPIDR) were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. Read More

Wiad Lek 2018;71(1 pt 1):10-16

Katedra i Klinika Reumatologii i Układowych Chorób Tkanki Łącznej, Uniwersytet Medyczny, Lublin, Polska.

Objective: Introduction: Radiosynoviorthesis (RS) is local method of treatment of remittent joint effusions among patients who obtained general improvement after disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs therapy but one or a few joints stay resistant to this treatment and intraarticular corticosteroids injections. The aim: The attempt to identification methods of efficacy assessment of the 90yttrium knee joint RS.

Patients And Methods: Material and methods: The study group consisted of 43 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 19 patients with inflammatory spondyloarthropaties (SPA) where 8 patients were treated for ankylosing spondylitis (AS), 4 for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and 7 due to undifferentiated inflammatory spondyloarthropaties (USPA). Read More

Clin Exp Rheumatol 2018 Jan-Feb;36(1):1-14. Epub 2018 Feb 5.

GenOMeC PhD, University of Siena; and Rheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy.

The term spondyloarthritis (SpA) represents a condition characterised by a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, laboratory abnormalities and imaging features; in particular, SpA is an inflammatory condition in which both peripheral and axial joints might be affected. The majority of people with this disease have either psoriatic arthritis or axial spondyloarthritis, which includes ankylosing spondylitis. Less common subgroups are enteropathic SpA, which is associated with inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis), reactive arthritis, which can occur in people following gastrointestinal or genitourinary infections and undifferentiated SpA, that does not meet the diagnostic criteria of the other subgroups at onset, but that may evolve to do so later. Read More

Ann Rheum Dis 2018 04 19;77(4):541-548. Epub 2017 Dec 19.

Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Objectives: To describe the incidence of atrioventricular (AV) block II-III, atrial fibrillation (AF), pacemaker implantation (PM) and aortic regurgitation in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (uSpA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) compared with the general population (GP) and with each other.

Methods: A prospective nationwide study with cohorts of patients with AS (n=6448), PsA (n=16 063) and uSpA (n=5190) and a GP (n=2 66 435) cohort, identified in 2001-2009 in the Swedish National Patient and Population registers. Follow-up began on 1 January 2006 and ended at event, death, emigration or 31 December 2012. Read More

Reumatol Clin (Engl Ed) 2019 Jul - Aug;15(4):223-228. Epub 2017 Sep 22.

School of Allied Health Sciences. Searly Center Aging, Galveston, Texas, EE. UU.

Introduction: Spondyloarthropathies (SpA) are disabling diseases with a prevalence of 1.9% in the general population. The indices designed for monitoring the disease should be valid, reliable and cross-culturally adapted for decision-making concerning the appropriate treatment. Read More

Arthritis Res Ther 2017 05 18;19(1):102. Epub 2017 May 18.

Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Box 480, 405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Background: To investigate the risk of first-time acute coronary syndrome (ACS), stroke and venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (uSpA), compared to each other and to the general population (GP).

Methods: This is a prospective nationwide cohort study. Cohorts with AS (n = 6448), PsA (n = 16,063) and uSpA (n = 5190) patients and a GP (n = 266,435) cohort, were identified 2001-2009 in the Swedish National Patient and Population registers. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2017 Jan;96(4):e5960

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Department of Obstetrics, South Medical University Affiliated Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Foshan, Foshan, Guangdong Department of Rheumatism and Immunity, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.

Background: The idea that undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (uSpA) represents the early undifferentiated stage of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and other well-defined SpA subtypes is well known. The gist of this study is to assess the rate estimate of patients with uSpA evolved to AS during long-term follow-up.

Methods: A systematic search was implemented to identify pertinent articles. Read More

Clin Rheumatol 2017 Apr 24;36(4):953-958. Epub 2016 Dec 24.

Department of Rheumatology, Universidad de La Sabana-Hospital Militar Central, Km 7, Autopista Norte de Bogota, Chia, Colombia.

There is substantial evidence that non-B27 major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes are associated with spondyloarthritis (SpA). Studies in Mexican and Tunisian populations demonstrated the association of SpA and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) B15. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of HLA-A, B, and DR antigens in a group of Colombian patients with a diagnosis of SpA. Read More

Drug Des Devel Ther 2016 23;10:3065-3069. Epub 2016 Sep 23.

Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine.

In the current study, the overall prevalence and the main underlying etiologies of inflammatory low back pain (ILBP) were determined, and the effectiveness of treatment with sulfasalazine was investigated in patients with inflammatory versus mechanical low back pain (LBP). In a prospective study conducted from July 2013 until August 2015, 1,779 consecutive patients within the age range of 18-50 years with a primary complaint of LBP referring to the rheumatology clinics were included. The patients were classified into two distinct groups: those suffering from ILBP (n=118) and those having mechanical LBP (n=1,661). Read More

Immunol Res 2017 02;65(1):419-422

Allergology and Immunology Laboratory, S.Giovanni di Dio Hospital, Florence, Italy.

Biosimilar infliximab (INX) was recently approved by the European Medicine Agency for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and psoriasis on the grounds that its pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy were comparable to those of innovator INX. The aim of this study was to investigate the real-life efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of switching from innovator to biosimilar INX in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA). Forty-one patients attending three Italian rheumatology centres with a previous diagnosis of SpA and clinically inactive or moderate disease activity (ASDAS-CRP < 2. Read More

Ann Rheum Dis 2017 Jan 4;76(1):105-111. Epub 2016 May 4.

Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet at Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Background: Safety data on cancer risks following tumour necrosis factor α inhibitors (TNFi) in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) (here defined as ankylosing spondylitis (AS), undifferentiated spondarthropaties (SpA UNS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA)) are scarce. Our objective was to assess risks for cancer overall and for common subtypes in patients with SpA treated with TNFi compared with TNFi-naïve patients with SpA and to the general population.

Methods: From the Swedish (Anti-Rheumatic Therapy in Sweden (ARTIS)) and Danish (DANBIO) biologics registers, we assembled 8703 (ARTIS=5448, DANBIO=3255) patients with SpA initiating a first TNFi 2001-2011. Read More

Musculoskeletal Care 2017 03 24;15(1):36-48. Epub 2016 Feb 24.

Department of Clinical Sciences, Section of Rheumatology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.

Objective: Research concerning spinal mobility in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) has focused on ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and data on the clinical diagnosis of undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (USpA) are limited. The objective was to study differences in spinal mobility between axSpA subgroups AS and USpA, including gender differences.

Methods: A total of 183 patients with axSpA from a rheumatology clinic were included in the study. Read More

Reumatizam 2015 ;62(1):20-6

Spondyloarthritis or spondyloarthropathy (SpA) is a multifactorial disease in which a disturbed interplay occurs between the immune system and environmental factors on a predisposing genetic background, which leads to inflammation and structural damage of target tissue. Many recent researches on development of SpA showed important role of innate and adaptive immunity as well as of prominent bone tissue remodeling which leads to osteoproliferation and ankylosis. It is believed that possible sites of inflammation in SpA are entheses, sinovium and gut. Read More

West Indian Med J 2015 May 6;65(1):165-169. Epub 2015 May 6.

Department of Rheumatology, Cumhuriyet University School of Medicine, Sivas, Turkey.

Background: In humans, it has been suggested that low-level mean platelet volume (MPV) may be related to secondary thrombosis due to inflammation. For this reason, MPV can be used as a marker showing inflammation in the body.

Objectives: To evaluate the association of MPV with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS-28), and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) in patients with rheumatic diseases. Read More

Scand J Rheumatol 2015 23;44(5):369-76. Epub 2015 Mar 23.

a Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research , Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg , Gothenburg.

Objectives: Epidemiological studies of spondyloarthritis (SpA), using ICD codes from the Swedish National Patient Register (NPR), offer unique possibilities but hinge upon an understanding of the validity of the codes. The aim of this study was to validate the ICD codes for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and undifferentiated SpA (uSpA) in the NPR against the established classification criteria [modified New York (mNY), Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS), Amor, and European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) criteria].

Method: All patients with an ICD-8/9/10 code of AS or uSpA in the NPR 1966-2009 at a visit to a specialist in rheumatology or internal medicine or corresponding hospitalization, alive and living in Sweden 2009, were identified (n=20,089). Read More