Authors: Laura-Ioana Crînguș1, Alina Elena Ciobanu2, Daniela Ciobanu3, Andrei Adrian Tica1
Affiliation
1 Department of Pharmacology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania
2 University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania
3 Department of Internal Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania
Abstract
Background. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a disease with onset at a young age, which influences the patient’s social life and work capacity.
Aims. The study aims to analyze the epidemiological aspects and clinical characteristics of patients with AS (age of onset, residence, the average duration of the disease, risk factors – smoking, diabetes).
Methods. We conducted a retrospective analysis, descriptive, based on 21 patients diagnosed with AS, hospitalized consecutively, according to the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) criteria, who were evaluated based on personal history and through clinical, biological and imaging evaluation, within the Rheumatology Clinic, Emergency County Clinical Hospital of Craiova, between October 2019 – October 2022.
Results. Following the descriptive analysis of the patients diagnosed with AS, we established certain particular epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the investigated group: statistically highly significant differences regarding the predominance of male patients, and of people from urban areas, average value at the time of diagnosis of 40.48±16.52 years, the average duration of the disease of 6.71±3.22 years, most patients were smokers, and two-thirds of the study participants were overweight.
Conclusions. Our study revealed a low incidence of AS in Referral Center of Craiova, during the investigated period, October 2019 – October 2022. The patient profile resulting from our study with AS was: man, from the urban residence, aged in the fourth decade of life at the time of diagnosis, with moderate disease activity, and having traditional cardiovascular risk factors, smoking or obesity, which may influence disease activity or inflammation.
Key words: ankylosing spondylitis, human leukocyte antigen B27, inflammatory arthropathy, prevalence.
Clinical-epidemiological aspects in a cohort of ankylosing spondylitis patients
