Extra-Articular Manifestations in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis: Baseline Characteristics from the RBSMR Study.

Objectives: To describe and analyse the prevalence of extra-articular manifestations (EAMs) including acute anterior uveitis (AAU), psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in the Moroccan registry of biological therapies in rheumatic diseases RBSMR (Registre des Biothérapies de la Société Marocaine de Rhumatologie). Methods: A cross-sectional, multicentre and analytical study based on the RBSMR database, which included 170 AS. Incidence rates for the development of AAU, psoriasis and IBD were calculated, and risk factors were analysed. Results: Prevalence of EAMs in AS was 13.5%, 4.7% and 11.2% for AAU, psoriasis and IBD respectively. No significant differences were found while establishing a comparison of the prevalence of these EAMs between AS patients with and without peripheral arthritis. Interestingly, AAU was the most common EAM, and was positively associated in multivariable regression with family history of spondyloarthritis (OR= 7.21, CI 95%: 2.23-23.24). Conclusions: AAU was the leading EAM in patients with AS included in the Moroccan biotherapy registry (RBSMR) and it was associated with family history of spondyloarthritis.

Relationship between vertebral fracture prevalence and abdominal aortic calcification in women with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: Vertebral fracture assessment (VFA)-detected abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) has been validated as an indicator of increased risk of vertebral fractures (VFs) in other populations but this relationship in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is unclear. We assess the prevalence of AAC on VFA scans and its potential relationship with prevalent VFs in a cohort of RA women. METHODS: We enrolled 250 women with RA. VFA images, and scans of the lumbar spine and proximal femur were obtained using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. The presence/severity of VFs and AAC were carried out using validated approaches. RESULTS: AAC was detected in 95 of 250 (38%) eligible subjects and 83 (33.2%) had at least one VF. Significantly subjects with VFs had a higher AAC score (3.4 ± 3.8 versus 0.7 ± 1.4; p˂0.001) and higher prevalence of AAC than those without VFs (65% versus 26%; P˂0.001). The group with VFs tended to be older, had more menopausal women, and lower lumbar spine and total hip BMD than those without VF. They also had a long-standing disease and high DAS 28-CRP, a great steroid cumulative dose, and a high prevalence of rheumatoid factor (RF). In multivariate analyses, a significant association was noted between prevalent VFs and age of patients, RA disease activity, presence of densitometric osteoporosis, RF, and VFA-detected AAC, whereas there was no significant association with steroid cumulative dose and disease duration. CONCLUSION: VFA is a convenient tool for the diagnosis of VFs and AAC. In this cohort, VFA-detected AAC was independently associated with prevalent VFs.