Axial spondyloarthritis

Researchers writing in PLOS One report that patients with ankylosing spondylitis have a significant higher prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer’s dementia than the general population.

Half of patients with axial spondyloarthritis have both the axial and peripheral forms of the disease, which may explain why these patients have higher disease activity, researchers write in RMD Open.

Researchers writing in Arthritis Research and Therapy describe the results of a randomized clincal trial in which most patients with Ankylosing spondylitis maintained low disease activity or remission with standard or reduced TNFi dose schedules.

T1-weighted MRI may be a highly specific and reliable test for diagnosing SpA.

Vertebral fractures may not be as common in spondyloarthritis as previously thought.

British researchers examine the impact of axSpA on employment.

Findings from the most extensive study to analyze the association between HLA-B27 status and manifestations of AS.

Take this 5-question quiz for a quick refresher on the ACR guidelines.

A look at the relationship between disease activity, progression, and low bone mineral density in axial spondyloarthritis.

Dutch researchers found no need for a gender divide in the diagnostic approach to suspected axSpA.

Findings from the first study to incorporate a meta-analysis on TNFi dose adjustment in an axSpA population.

Be vigilant for diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis in patients who have ankylosing spondylitis, since they may be less clearly symptomatic.

Concerns have been raised in the past about the possibility of infection caused by immune suppression.

The presence of either type of pain may reflect higher disease activity and greater functional limitation.

A non-pharmacologic treatment may have wide-reaching benefits in AS, ranging from weight management to better spinal mobility.

Findings from the first report on sex-specific predictors of spinal radiographic progression in ankylosing spondylitis.

Be aware that disease activity scores may not correlate well with pain.

What are the implications for the timing of these procedures in younger patients with AS?

Findings from the first study to assess scoring methods in early axSpA-before sacroiliitis is present.

Similarities between ankylosing spondylitis and non-radiographic axial SpA, a caveat about positive MRI scans, and the impact of obesity on disease outcomes.

Be careful not to discount the disease burden in women with axSpA.

When disease activity is high and/or function impaired, consider depression a likely comorbidity that may be a result of inflammation.

Two recent studies focus on radiographic progression in ankylosing spondylitis and the risk of osteoporosis in axial spondyloarthritis.

Be vigilant for cardiovascular risk factors in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, advise Norwegian researchers.

A diagnostic challenge: degenerative spinal changes are common and can mimic axial spondyloarthritis.