Axial spondyloarthritis

Artificial intelligence (AI) detected axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) in radiographic scans of sacroiliac joints as accurately as human experts, shows a new study.

Back pain is the second leading symptom prompting a visit to a primary care physician. Here, we highlight a review of axial spondyloarthritis from Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The review aims to help primary care physicians detect this condition and know when to refer to a rheumatologist.

Despite major advances in axial spondyloarthritis and an increasing number of therapeutic options, questions remain related to the optimized treatment strategies and to the individual drug choice, according to a review published in Current Rheumatology Reports.

Patient assessments measured fatigue, disease activity, global spinal pain, and spinal pain at night.

Patients with axial spondyloarthritis who smoke may be more likely to have sacroiliac joint inflammation if they have a blue‐collar job or low education, according to a study recently published in Arthritis & Rheumatology. In this Q&A with study author Elena Nikiphorou, M.B.B.S./B.Sc., M.D.(Res), Consultant Rheumatologist at King's College Hospital in London, U.K.,we discuss the study and its findings.

Patients with axial spondyloarthritis may be more susceptible to higher disease activity if they are overweight or obese, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in RMD Open. In this Q&A with study author Jean Liew, M.D., of University of Washington in Seattle, we discuss the study and its significance.

The increased cardiovascular disease risk in patients with ankylosing spondylitis is explained both by traditional  cardiovascular risk factors as well as the underlying chronic inflammatory process. However, this dual etiology is not adequately addressed in clinical practice, according to a presentation on June 3 at the European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) annual meeting.

Spondyloarthritis is associated with an increased risk of preterm births, small gestational age infants and elective cesarean section deliveries, according to study data presented on June 4 at the European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) annual meeting.

Study drug also recently showed promise in treating psoriatic arthritis.

In this Q&A with rheumatologist Nigil Haroon, M.D., Ph.D., of the University Health Network and Krembil Research Institute at the University of Toronto, we discuss COVID-19 factors specific to patients with spondyloarthritis.

A new study shows there is little to no clinical benefit in reducing TNFi treatment dosages for patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).

A comprehensive review of published studies on gut microbiota, immunity and arthritis suggests that having a microbial imbalance may precede the development of spondyloarthritides and osteoarthritis.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a label update for secukinumab (Cosentyx, Novartis) to include the option for up-titration to a 300 mg dose for adults with active ankylosing spondylitis.

Adding methotrexate to adalimumab (Humira, AbbVie) in axial spondyloarthritis was associated with reduced immunogenicity, and prolonged co-medication was associated with long-term maintenance of adalimumab, say researchers recently writing in RMD Open: Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Diseases.

Long-term use of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) may show radiographic progression benefit in axial spondyloarthritis, say researchers recently writing in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

The internationally recommended Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) cutoff of four and above may not be applicable when initiating treatment with the tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitor (TNFi) golimumab (Simponi, Janssen), say researchers recently writing in The Journal of Rheumatology.

Turkish researchers are reporting the results of small study that shows too much vitamin D may be associated with the severity of in disease ankylosing spondylitis patients. Learn more about this and other recent findings from spondylarthritis research in today's news roundup. 

In patients with ankylosing spondylitis receiving treatment with non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), timely therapeutic strategies should be implemented in order to manage gastrointestinal risk, say researchers recently writing in the International Journal of Rheumatic Disease.

Physiotherapy is beneficial in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and while more research is needed, expanding traditional exercise programs to include aerobic and cardiorespiratory components along with patient education may improve outcomes for patients with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis as well.

Swedish researchers writing in Arthritis Research & Therapy  earlier this year report that more than half (54%) of patients discontinue their first TNFi treatment within five years and those who remain on a TNF inhibitor treatment receive a lower dose.

Nearly one-quarter of patients with ankylosing spondylitis experienced disease progression over time, with male sex, presence of baseline damage, active disease state, and higher inflammatory markers predictive of spinal progression, while treatment with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors slowed the progression rate, say researchers recently writing in Arthritis Care & Research.

Aileen Pangan, MD, executive medical director of Immunology with AbbVie, discusses the results of the SELECT-AXIS 1 trial and what it indicates about upadacitinib as a treatment for ankylosing spondylitis.

Deodhar discusses the results of a study comparing the symptoms and treatment patterns in patients with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

The oral therapy filgotinib could be a more effective treatment for patients with active ankylosing spondylitis who fail treatment with NSAIDs, according to the results of a study presented at the Clinical Congress of Rheumatology West in San Diego last month.