Bodur H et al. - Analysis of disease characteristics can inform us about the disease severity and activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients and could help in selecting candidate patients for biological treatments. Methods
Aim was to investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients with RA and AS to analyze their current medical management
A total of 562 RA and 216 AS pts were evaluated
The mean age of RA pts was 52.1±12.6 yrs
The female to male ratio was 3.7:1
Results
72.2% of RA pts had positive RF, 62.9% had high C-reactive protein, and 75.2% had radiological erosion. The ratio of pts with DAS 28 >3.2 was 73.9% and of those with HAQ >=1.5 was 20.9%
There was an increase in RF positivity and HAQ scores in the group with higher DAS 28 score
Frequency of extraarticular manifestations was 22.4%
Ratio of the pts receiving DMARD was 93.1%, and 6.9% of the pts were using anti-TNF blocking agents
In AS, the mean age of the patients was 38.1±10.6, and the female to male ratio was 1:2.5
The time elapsed between the first symptom and diagnosis was 4.3 yrs
The ratio of peripheral joint involvement was 29.4%
Major histocompatibility complex, class I, B 27 was investigated in 31.1% of patients and the rate of positivity was 91%
In 52.4% of the pts, Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) was >=4
The erythrocyte sedimentation rate, Bath AS Functional Index, and peripheralinvolvement were higher in the group with BASDAI >=4
Frequency of extraarticular involvement was 21.2% in AS pts
In the treatment schedule, 77.5% of AS pts were receiving sulphasalazine, 15% methotrexate, and 9.9% anti-TNF agents
Despite widespread use of DMARD, a high disease activity in more than half of the RA and AS pts was observed, may be due to relatively insufficient usage of anti-TNF agents
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