Table 1.
The subgroup analyses of the association between infections and the risk of AS.
| Subgroups | No. of items | OR/RR/HR (95% CI) | I 2 (%) | Chi-square test P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case-control studies | ||||
| Comorbidities | 0.139 | |||
| Adjusted | 2 | 1.26 (0.94–1.70) | 95.7 | |
| Unadjusted | 8 | 1.66 (1.35–2.03) | 45.8 | |
| Infection Type | 0.864 | |||
| Bacterial | 4 | 1.31 (0.61–2.78) | 55.3 | |
| Other* | 6 | 1.40 (1.15–1.70) | 82.7 | |
| Infection Site | 0.347 | |||
| Immune system | 2 | 1.46 (1.42–1.49) | 0.0 | |
| Other** | 10 | 1.27 (0.96–1.69) | 86.7 | |
| Cohort studies | ||||
| Comorbidities | 0.157 | |||
| Adjusted | 6 | 1.39 (1.15–1.68) | 71.6 | |
| Unadjusted | 1 | 0.86 (0.45–1.63) | 0.0 | |
| Infection Type | 0.766 | |||
| Bacterial | 2 | 0.70 (0.10–4.78) | 87.4 | |
| Viral | 4 | 1.43 (1.22–1.66) | 35.3 | |
| Other* | 3 | 1.44 (1.12–1.86) | 74.0 | |
| Infection Site | 0.863 | |||
| Immune system | 2 | 1.27 (0.61–2.65) | 66.0 | |
| Other** | 5 | 1.36 (1.11–1.67) | 76.6 |
AS, ankylosing spondylitis; CI, confidence interval; HR, hazard ratio; OR, odds ratio, RR, relative risk.
*Other types of infection include fungi, chlamydia, and mycoplasma.
**Other sites of infection include the digestive system, respiratory system, and genitourinary system.