Table 1.
Baseline characteristics and medication at baseline and during follow up in 166 patients with ankylosing spondylitis
| Total group | Men (n = 89) | Women (n = 77) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic variables | ||||
| Age, years | 50 (13) | 49 (12) | 51 (13) | 0.45 |
| Current smokers | 17 (10) | 8 (9) | 9 (12) | 0.75 |
| Ever-smokers | 72 (43) | 41 (46) | 31 (40) | 0.55 |
| BMI category: normal/overweight/obese | 85 (51)/ | 41 (46)/ | 44 (57)/ | 0.36 |
| 56 (34)/ | 33 (37)/ | 23 (30)/ | ||
| 25 (15) | 15 (17) | 10 (13) | ||
| Blue-collar workera | 40 (33) | 21 (33) | 19 (33) | 1.00 |
| Time between x-rays, months | 66 (3) | 65 (3) | 67 (1) | 0.003 |
| Disease-related variables | ||||
| Duration of symptoms, years | 24 (13) | 23 (13) | 24 (13) | 0.58 |
| History of anterior uveitis | 85 (51) | 50 (56) | 35 (46) | 0.22 |
| History of peripheral arthritis | 95 (57) | 47 (53) | 48 (62) | 0.28 |
| History of coxitis | 13 (8) | 7 (8) | 6 (8) | 1.00 |
| BASMI, score | 3.0 (1.5) | 3.2 (1.8) | 2.9 (1.2) | 0.61 |
| BASFI, score | 2.5 (2.0) | 2.3 (1.9) | 2.7 (2.1) | 0.25 |
| BASDAI, score | 3.4 (2.1) | 3.1 (2.1) | 3.7 (2.0) | 0.056 |
| ASDAS_CRP, score | 2.1 (0.9) | 2.1 (0.9) | 2.1 (0.8) | 0.53 |
| CRP, mg/L | 5.4 (8.5) | 6.5 (10.5) | 4.2 (5.1) | 0.26 |
| Time-averaged CRP during follow up, mg/L | 5.8 (5.9) | 6.5 (6.4) | 4.9 (5.0) | 0.043 |
| ESR, mm/h | 14.2 (11.2) | 12.7 (11.5) | 15.9 (10.6) | 0.003 |
| Time-averaged ESR during follow-up, mm/h | 12.2 (8.4) | 10.9 (7.8) | 13.8 (8.9) | 0.009 |
| HLA-B27 positive | 143 (86) | 82 (92) | 61 (79) | 0.030 |
| Aortic insufficiencyb | 25 (16) | 13 (16) | 12 (17) | 0.98 |
| mSASSS, score | 13.9 (18.6) | 20.3 (21.9) | 6.4 (9.6) | < 0.001 |
| Presence of syndesmophyte | 76 (46) | 51 (57) | 25 (33) | 0.002 |
| Medications | ||||
| Patients on NSAIDs baseline | 129 (78) | 66 (74) | 63 (82) | 0.32 |
| NSAID index during follow up, 0–100 | 34 (38) | 39 (39) | 29 (33) | 0.31 |
| Patients on TNFi at baseline | 33 (20) | 22 (25) | 11 (14) | 0.14 |
| Patients exposed to TNFi during follow up | 49 (30) | 30 (34) | 19 (25) | 0.27 |
| Patients on bisphosphonate at baseline | 7 (4) | 1 (1) | 6 (8) | 0.050 |
| Patients exposed to bisphosphonate during follow-up | 30 (18) | 11 (12) | 19 (25) | 0.064 |
Values are means (SD) or numbers of patients (%)
ASDAS_CRP Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score_C-reactive protein, BASDAI Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index, BASFI Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index, BASMI Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index, BMI body mass index, CRP C-reactive protein, ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate, HLA-B27 human leukocyte antigen B27, mSASSS modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spine Score, NSAID non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, TNFi tumor necrosis factor inhibitor
an = 120 for total group, 63 men and 57 women
bn = 153 for total group, 83 men and 70 women