Objective: To examine the therapeutic effect of the interleukin 1 (IL1) receptor antagonist anakinra in ankylosing spondylitis in an open label trial. Methods: Anakinra (100 mg) was given subcutaneously daily over 24 weeks to 20 NSAID refractory patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Thirteen completed the study. Clinical outcome assessments included disease activity, function, metrology, patien...

This study was aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum interleukin-23 (IL-23) levels and ankylosing spondylitis (AS).Twenty male patients diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis according to the 1984 modified New York criteria for AS and twenty male healthy controls were included in this study.The demographic characteristics, clinical and laboratory findings of the patients were recorded...

The authors present distinctive computed tomographic (CT) findings in two cases of long-standing ankylosing spondylitis accompanied by the cauda equina syndrome. Multiple, asymmetric erosions of the posterior elements of the lumbar spine on CT were correlated with thecal diverticula demonstrated by myelography. The pathogenesis of these erosions may be related to arachnoiditis in the early phas...

Two patients with ankylosing spondylitis were found to have IgA nephropathy and leucocytoclastic cutaneous vasculitis. Immunofluorescence showed perivascular deposition of IgA in the skin of one patient and in the mesangium of both patients. Such an association has been reported only once before. This supports the concept of abnormal IgA immune stimulation in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spon...

Although the therapeutic uses of tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonists have added a highly effective treatment of ankylosing spondylitis and associated spondyloarthropathies, they are associated with many untoward effects. We describe a Saudi patient with ankylosing spondylitis who developed severe psoriatic lesions in treatment with infliximab. He had no personal, or family history of psoria...

A 57 year old white man with aortic insufficiency and previously undiagnosed ankylosing spondylitis, who developed subacute bacterial endocarditis (SBE), is described. Emergency aortic valve replacement was necessary, and the aortic valve pathology showed diffusely fibrosed and thickened valve leaflets with bacterial vegetations. This is the first recorded case of SBE in ankylosing spondylitis.

An account of aortic regurgitation complicating ankylosing spondylitis is given. Twenty patients with lone aortic regurgitation and without overt spondylitis were examined clinically and radiologically and tissue typed. No evidence of sacroiliitis could be found in any patient. HLA B27 was absent from this group, and no significant disturbance in antigen frequency was noted.

Fifty-five patients with ankylosing spondylitis and 16 control patients matched for sex and age were examined for evidence of occult inflammatory bowel disease. In all patients evaluation included history and physical examination, barium enema, sigmoidoscopy, and rectal biopsy. The results of this study suggest that there is no increased prevalence of occult inflammatory bowel disease in patien...