INTRODUCTION Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic progressive autoimmune inflammatory disorder involving mainly the axial skeleton and larger peripheral joints that progressively limits spinal mobility and may lead to irreversible structural changes and consequently to impaired physical function and reduced quality of life. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess functional disability an...

AIM The aim of the study was to compare the effects of conventional exercise (CE), swimming and walking on the pulmonary functions, aerobic capacity, quality of life, Bath indexes and psychological symptoms in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS Forty-five patients were randomised into either swimming (group 1), walking (group 2), CE group (group 3). Patients in Group 1 perform...

HLA-B27 has a high degree of genetic polymorphism, with 105 known subtypes, named HLA-B*27:01 to HLA-B*27:106, encoded by 132 alleles. The most common subtypes associated with ankylosing spondylitis are HLA-B*27:05 (Caucasians), HLA-B*27:04 (Chinese), and HLA-B*27:02 (Mediterranean populations). For Chinese populations, HLA-B*27:04 is associated with a greater ankylosing spondylitis risk than H...

OBJECTIVE This study was an investigation of effects of pre-obesity on clinical characteristics and quality of life in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS Total of 28 AS patients and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included in the study. Patients and controls with any systemic inflammatory disease and/or cognitive and mental problems were excluded. Disease activit...

Twenty consecutive primary noncemented total hip arthroplasties performed on 12 men with ankylosing spondylitis were available to be studied clinically and radiographically at an average follow-up period of 75 months (range, 27-121 months). The average patient age at the time of surgery was 35 years (range, 23-53 years). Harris hip scores averaged 48.4 before surgery and 89.1 at the most recent...

OBJECTIVES Psychological factors may be important in the assessment and management of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Our primary objective was to describe associations between disease and psychological status in AS, using AS-specific assessment tools and questionnaires. Our secondary objectives were to identify patient subgroups based on such associations and to determine the stability of the mea...

OBJECTIVE The purpose of the present study was to produce an Italian version of the Revised Leeds Disability Questionnaire (LDQ) in a group of patients with ankylosing spondylitis, and to examine the psychometric properties of this version, evaluating its internal consistency, external validity and reliability. METHODS The LDQ was administered to 60 Caucasian patients affected by ankylosing s...

Objectives: To link validated and widely used instruments measuring physical functional ability in ankylosing spondylitis to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) and to compare their contents, based on the results of the linking process. Methods: The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), the Dougados Functional Index (DFI), the Health Ass...

According to Romanus and Yd#{233}n (1955) the first description of a locally destructive lesion involving both surfaces of a vertebral body in ankylosing spondylitis was in an article by Andersson (1937) reporting two cases. Since then there have been occasional reports of similar lesions, notably by Edstr#{246}m (1940) and Forestier, Jacqueline and Rotes-Querol (1956). Both of these authors co...

STUDY DESIGN A retrospective cohort. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to characterize spinal fractures in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Patients with ankylosing spondylitis are susceptible to fractures of the spinal column, even from minor trauma. However, the literature describing patients with ankylosing spondylitis and spinal fractures consists large...