Abstract
(1) Background: The prevalence of Spondyloarthritis (SpA) varies significantly in different regions and ethnic groups due several factors such as heterogeneity in study populations, the diversity of classification criteria used in epidemiological studies, the prevalence variability of HLA-B27 or disparity in healthcare access. To our knowledge, there is no data on SpA in Martinique, a French region in the Caribbean with a predominantly Afro-descendant population and a high level of healthcare. (2) Methods: This was a retrospective study of all SpA patients treated at the Fort de France University Hospital between 1 January 1997 and 1 January 2008. (3) Results: In our cohort of 86 SpA patients, age at diagnosis was late (41 years old), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) was the most frequent sub-type (60.5%), inflammatory bowel disease was the most frequent extra articular feature (23.3%) and no one had personal familial history of the disease. Inflammatory syndrome concerned 55.6% of patients, no one was positive for HIV and HLA-B27 positivity was low (42.2%). However, HLA-B27 was statistically associated with AS. Out of 64 patients, 41 had sacroiliitis. (4) Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive descriptive study of SpA subtypes in Martinique, a French region in the Caribbean. We report clinical and biological similarities in our SpA cohort with those of sub-Saharan Africa and with SpA subtypes reported in Afro-descendant populations.
Highlights
Spondyloarthritis is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease involving different pathologies with common clinical, biological, radiographic, and genetic features
We report clinical and biological similarities in our SpA cohort with those of sub-Saharan Africa and with SpA subtypes reported in Afro-descendant populations
The prevalence of the disease varies significantly in different regions and ethnic groups. This phenomenon can be explained by heterogeneity in study populations [1], differences in healthcare access in each region, the diversity of classification criteria used in epidemiological studies [1] and differences in the prevalence of HLA-B27 [1,3]
Summary
Spondyloarthritis is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease involving different pathologies with common clinical, biological, radiographic, and genetic features. These features are incorporated in several SpA classification criteria [1] and in the most recent 2009 ASAS criteria [2]. There is no data concerning Spondyloarthritis in Martinique This French region of the Caribbean is very unique, as most of its population is of African descent [4] originally from Central Africa and West Africa [5]; the healthcare system is comparable to mainland France, with free access to medical care for each citizen, and a single hospital represented by the university hospital center provides care for a population under 400,000 inhabitants. There are no private clinics providing care for SpA in Martinique
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