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Evaluation of the early cervical structural change in patients with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthropathy

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Abstract

In this double-blind, controlled, cross-sectional study, we compared structural changes in the cervical vertebrae of patients with nonradiographic axial spondyloarthropathy (nr-axSpA), patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and a control group. We used the modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spinal Score (mSASSS) to determine whether the involvement of the cervical spine occurs earlier and is more severe than that of the lumbar spine in axial spondyloarthropathy (axSpA). A statistically significant difference was found in the total mSASSS between the AS and nr-axSpA groups (p = 0.038), but not in the cervical and lumbar mSASSS. Although the duration of the symptoms was shorter in the nr-axSpA group than in the AS group, no statistically significant difference was found in the cervical mSASSS between the AS and nr-axSpA groups. In both the AS and nr-axSpA groups, the cervical mSASSS values were found to be higher than the lumbar mSASSS values for the majority of the patients (82.8 and 89.5%, respectively). This may indicate that structural changes in the cervical spine occur during an early period of axSpA.

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Funding

The study was funded by Turkish League against Rheumatism (TLAR) (735 040 7500).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Akdagmadeni State Hospital, Akdağmadeni, Yozgat, Turkey

    Melike Cengiz

  2. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Rheumatology Science), Ankara University School of Medicine, Çankaya, Ankara, Turkey

    Şebnem Ataman & Ayşe Peyman Yalçın

  3. Department of Rheumatology, Aydın State Hospital, Aydın, Turkey

    İsmihan Sunar

  4. Department of Rheumatology, Kütahya Health Sciences University Evliya Çelebi Education and Research Hospital, Kütahya, Turkey

    Gürkan Yılmaz

  5. Department of Biostatistics, Ankara University School of Medicine, Çankaya, Ankara, Turkey

    Atilla Halil Elhan

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  1. Melike Cengiz
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  4. Ayşe Peyman Yalçın
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Contributions

MC collected data. ŞA, PY, IS read the radiographs. MC, ŞA, IS, PY, GY contributed to the writing of the article. AHE conducted statistical analysis.

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Correspondence to Melike Cengiz.

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This is a double-blind cross-sectional study comparing the structural changes of the cervical vertebrae among 3 groups of non-radiographic axial spondyloarthropathy (nr-axSpA), Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), and control group of nonspecific mechanical back pain. The article has not been sent to any other journal for publication. The study was presented as oral presentation in 2019 TLAR Rheumatology Annual Congress and awarded as the third best presentation.

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Cengiz, M., Ataman, Ş., Sunar, İ. et al. Evaluation of the early cervical structural change in patients with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthropathy. Rheumatol Int 42, 495–502 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-021-04807-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-021-04807-5

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