Diagnosis Of Spondyloarthritis Research Articles

OA13 Alkaptonuria: a big mimic

Abstract Background/Aims Alkaptonuria is a rare metabolic disorder, often misdiagnosed as spondyloarthritis or degenerative musculoskeletal disease. The population most affected are young males in their 30s with characteristic arthritis involving the spine and large joints. The patient may notice their urine turning dark on standing and pigmentation over the skin and connective tissues (ochronosis); however, these subtle features may sometimes go unnoticed. Methods A 38-year-old-male with long standing back pain presented with right knee swelling. With a diagnosis of spondyloarthritis, he was previously treated with DMARDS but did not have any relief. There was a history of urine turning dark on standing. On examination, there was subtle hyperpigmentation over left ear concha and a spot on the sclera. An x-ray of the thoracic spine showed flattening and calcification of intervertebral disc spaces at multiple levels. Aspiration of synovial fluid showed suspended fragments of articular cartilage. His inflammatory markers were negative. We performed gas chromatography mass spectrometry which showed elevated excretion of homogentisic acid (HGA). A homozygous pathogenic variant in the homogentisate 1,2-dioxygenase gene associated with alkaptonuria was reported on whole genome sequencing. Results Ochronotic arthropathy is defined as progressive degenerative joint disease mainly affecting the spine and large joints. Most patients require at least one joint replacement by age 55. Small joints of hands and feet and sacroiliac joints are usually spared. Arthroscopy of the joint may reveal dark brown to black pigmented cartilage defects. The synovium may show fragments of pigmented cartilage suspended in the fluid (ground pepper sign). Plain spine radiographs may show flattening and calcifications of the intervertebral discs with a characteristic vacuum phenomenon (radiolucent gas collection). Periarticular structures like tendons and ligaments are also affected, leading to rupture in around 20-30% of patients. Alkaptonuria is also associated with decreased bone mineral density and subsequent risk for fragility fracture. Conclusion Alkaptonuria often mimics ankylosing spondylitis. A triad of ochronosis, dark urine and ochronotic arthropathy is the key to diagnosis. Definitive diagnosis is through biochemical or genetic testing. Nitisinone has proved to be effective but shows significant side effects. Management mainly involves physiotherapy and palliative care. Disclosure M. Shah: None. S. Upadhyaya: None.

OA07 Is the SPADE tool a suitable way of screening patients for possible axial spondyloarthropathy

Abstract Background/Aims There are often significant delays to the diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA). The imaging modality of choice to investigate for AxSpA is an MRI with a specific AxSpA protocol (MRI AS protocol). A common route of referral for MRI scans looking for AxSpA is via the community physiotherapy team. The Spondyloarthritis Diagnosis Evaluation (SPADE) tool has been designed to estimate the probability of patients having AxSpA. This study aimed to look at the relationship between SPADE tool probability score and MRI AS protocol results in patients who were referred from community physiotherapy. Methods This was a retrospective service evaluation. The sample was obtained from 200 MRI AS protocol requests between 6 January 2020 and 15 December 2021. For each patient, the MRI result was obtained from ICE electronic results software. MRI results were categorised as AxSpA, not AxSpA, or equivocal. For equivocal results, electronic patient notes were reviewed to identify whether patients went on to be diagnosed with AxSpA. The patient SPADE score (improbable, additional tests necessary, probable diagnosis, or definite diagnosis) was recorded for each patient. Information was obtained from the electronic physiotherapy notes to determine a SPADE score. Results Of the 200 scans requested, 21 scans were excluded (eight due to AS protocol not being performed; six due to duplicate requests; four not investigating for AxSpA; two where radiology had suggested MRI AS protocol; one patient awaiting recall for a repeat scan). Of the 179 patients who had MRI scans, 9.5% (n = 17) showed AxSpA, 8.9% were equivocal (n = 16) and 81.6% (n = 146) were negative. A SPADE score was determined for 177 patients (two had insufficient data to determine a score). 30% (n = 53) of patients were ‘improbable’, 56% (n = 99) were ‘additional tests necessary’, 8% (n = 14) were ‘probable’ and 6% (n = 11) were ‘definite’. Of the ‘improbable’ cases, three had MRI demonstrating AxSpA and one was equivocal (4/53 [7.5%]). 49 patients had no MRI evidence of AxSpA. Of the patients with MRI positive scans, 3/17 (17.6%) were ‘improbable’ using the SPADE tool. Conclusion Having a tool to screen patients in the community may help to better identify those who warrant further investigation for AxSpA. The SPADE tool may be a useful aid to identify who to refer for further investigation of inflammatory back pain. Many patients identified as ‘improbable’ by the SPADE tool did not have evidence of AxSpA. If the tool was applied prospectively, this may lead to large reduction in the number of MRI AS protocol scans performed. However, there were a small number of ‘improbable’ cases who had MRI evidence of AxSpA and could therefore be misdiagnosed as non-inflammatory back pain. Disclosure T. Nadin: None. S. Crompton: None. A. Chopra: None. N. Kotnis: None. L. Dunkley: Honoraria; Abbvie, UCB, Pfizer and Novartis. Other; Speakers fees from Abbvie, UCB, Pfizer and Novartis.

Prevalence of spondyloarthritis in inflammatory bowel disease according ASAS and ultrassonography and its correlation with plasma calprotectin

BackgroundEnteropathic spondyloarthritis is underdiagnosed and inflammatory biomarkers and ultrasonography (US) could be useful for screening inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of spondyloarthritis (SpA) in IBD patients, according to the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) criteria and the correlation of results of US of entheses and joints with plasma calprotectin levels.MethodsThis was an observational cross-sectional study. Patients from the IBD outpatient clinic of a reference center were evaluated according to ASAS criteria classification, results of US of entheses and joints, and inflammatory biomarker measurements (erythrocyte sedimentation rates, C-reactive protein levels, fecal and plasma calprotectin levels). A p value lower than 0.05 was considered significant.ResultsA total of 30.5% of the studied sample (n = 118) of patients with IBD presented at least one inflammatory musculoskeletal manifestation. The overall prevalence of enteropathic SpA was 13.55%, with 10.16% axial SpA and 4.23% peripheral SpA according to the ASAS criteria. A total of 42.1% of patients had an MASEI score greater than 18, 35.2% had synovitis, and 14.7% had tenosynovitis on US, increasing the frequency of diagnosis of enteropathic SpA to 22.8%. Plasma calprotectin levels were similar to those in healthy controls, and correlated only with the fecal calprotectin level (p 0.041).ConclusionsA total of 13.5% of patients met the criteria in accordance with the ASAS criteria for enteropathic SpA, which increased to 22.8% with the addition of US. The prevalence of enthesitis, synovitis and tenosynovitis by US of symptomatic joints and entheses were 42%, 35% and 14.7% respectively. Plasma calprotectin was correlated with fecal calprotectin but not with inflammatory biomarkers or US or ASAS criteria.

Spinal involvement in gout simulating spondyloarthritis (clinical case)

The article presents a case of the lumbar spine involvement in a 37-year-old patient with gout who was observed for several years with a diagnosis of spondyloarthritis. Spinal involvement in the context of gout was confirmed by dual-energy computed tomography. This is a relatively new method for the diagnosis of microcrystalline arthritis, which makes it possible to detect urate deposits in the atypical course of the disease, especially when the axial skeleton is affected. We demonstrate the advantages of the modern gout treatment strategy of achieving and maintaining target uric acid levels by prescribing appropriate doses of xanthine oxidase inhibitors (febuxostat at a dose of 120 mg/day) while preventing arthritis flares (low-dose colchicine).

P401 The diagnostic efficacy of the DETAIL questionnaire as a screening tool for spondyloarthritis in Korean patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract Background The DETection of Arthritis in Inflammatory boweL diseases (DETAIL) is a very simple questionnaire consisting of six items. Developed in Italy as a screening tool for spondyloarthritis (SpA) in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), it has not been validated in Asian patients with IBD. This study aims to assess whether the DETAIL questionnaire demonstrates appropriate screening properties in Korean patients with IBD. Methods Adult patients with IBD experiencing musculoskeletal symptoms were prospectively enrolled. An IBD specialist assessed them using a Korean-translated version of the DETAIL questionnaire, and referred them to a rheumatologist. The diagnosis of SpA was made based on the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society classification criteria. The performance of the DETAIL questionnaire was evaluated using a Bayesian analysis model, with results graphically represented using Fagan’s nomogram. Results Eighty-seven patients with IBD (58 with ulcerative colitis and 29 with Crohn’s disease) completed the DETAIL questionnaire. Male was 50.1%, and the mean age of the patients was 39.1±12.1 years. Among these patients, 30 (34.5%) were diagnosed with SpA (20 peripheral, 10 axial). In the DETAIL questionnaire, items 1 (exploring peripheral synovitis), 2 (exploring dactylitis), and 3 (exploring Achilles enthesitis), which assess peripheral SpA, demonstrated good performance, especially with the highest positive likelihood ratio (LR+) found in item 2 (LR+ 3.26). Meanwhile, questions about inflammatory low back pain (items 4, 5, and 6), exhibited poorer performance, with LR+ values near or below 1. In subgroup analysis, the DETAIL questionnaire exhibited superior performance in younger IBD patients (< 40 years old) across three items for peripheral SpA, compared to older IBD patients (≥ 40 years old). An affirmative response to at least two questions about peripheral arthritis yielded a posttest probability of SpA of 85% or more. Conclusion The DETAIL questionnaire demonstrates effective screening properties for detecting SpA in young Korean IBD patients.

Pro-inflammatory cytokines in spondyloarthritis: a case-control study

ABSTRACT Objectives We aimed to determine the discriminative values of pro-inflammatory cytokines to distinguish spondyloarthritis patients from healthy subjects and to assess the association between these cytokines and spondyloarthritis characteristics. Methods We conducted a case-control study, including 144 subjects matched for age and sex: 72 spondyloarthritis patients(G1) and 72 controls (G2). The disease activity was assessed using ASDAS-CRP and BASDAI. Structural damage was assessed using BASRI. The levels of interleukin (IL) IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17, IL-23, and tumor necrosis factor α(TNFα) were measured. Results Each group included 57 men. The mean age was 44.84 ± 13.42 years. Except for IL-8, all cytokine levels were significantly higher in patients compared to controls (IL-1: p = 0.05, IL-6: p = 0.021, TNFα: p = 0.039, IL-17 and IL-23: p < 0.001). Cutoff values of IL-17 and IL-23 distinguishing patients in G1 from those in G2 were 17.6 and 7.96 pg/mL, respectively. TNFα level correlated to BASDAI (p = 0.029) and BASRI (p = 0.002). Multivariate analysis showed that structural damage was associated with the male gender (p = 0.017), longer disease duration (p = 0.038), and high disease activity (p = 0.044). Disease activity was associated with longer disease duration (p = 0.012) and increased IL-6 levels (p = 0.05). Conclusion Our study showed that IL-17 was the ablest to distinguish between spondyloarthritis patients and controls, suggesting that IL-17 may be helpful for the diagnosis of spondyloarthritis.

Impact of biological therapy in reducing the risk of arthritis development in inflammatory bowel diseases

ObjectiveEvaluate spondyloarthritis (SpA) incidence in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) between patients treated with biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) and conventional DMARDs (cDMARDs) and define risk factors associated with SpA development.MethodsRetrospective...

Frequency and features of cardiovascular diseases in spondyloarthritis

BACKGROUND: Group of spondyloarthritis include not only damage of musculoskeletal system, oftenly it’s combination with a variety of comorbid pathologies, primarily involving the cardiovascular system, is characteristic. Given the high importance of early detection, assessment and further prediction of the risks of cardiovascular diseases in this cohort of patients, a competent interpretation of the risks of aggravating cardiovascular diseases and their prevention is one of the priority tasks not only for rheumatologists, but also for specialists in related fields.&#x0D; AIM: To study the structure of comorbid pathology and assess the frequency of cardiovascular diseases in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and psoriatic spondyloarthritis, to conduct a comparative analysis of the incidence of cardiovascular comorbidities in different groups of spondyloarthritis.&#x0D; MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 153 patients with a verified diagnosis of spondyloarthritis. Patients were divided into 3 groups depending on the nature of the lesion of the musculoskeletal system: ankylosing spondylitis meeting the modified New York criteria for ankylosing spondylitis (1984) (n = 53), psoriatic arthritis meeting the CASPAR criteria (Classification criteria of Psoriatic Arthritis, 2006) (n = 40) and psoriatic spondylitis simultaneously meeting the modified New York criteria for ankylosing spondylitis and the CASPAR criteria for psoriatic arthritis (n = 60). All patients taken with monoclonal antibodies (inhibitors TNF-alpha).&#x0D; RESULTS: When studying cardiovascular comorbidity in patients with spondyloarthritis in three groups, arterial hypertension was most common in the ankylosing spondylitis group — 37.7%, in psoriatic arthritis — 62.5%, in the psoriatic spondyloarthritis group — 51.7%, conduction disturbance in ankylosing spondylitis — 28, 3%, in psoriatic arthritis — 17.5%, in the psoriatic spondyloarthritis group — 18.3%, dyslipidemia is significantly more common in the psoriatic arthritis and psoriatic spondyloarthritis groups — 47.5% and 51.7%, respectively, compared with the ankylosing spondylitis group — 18.9%. Along with cardiovascular diseases, endocrine disorders were detected with a high frequency of occurrence: overweight was more common in patients of the psoriatic arthritis and psoriatic spondyloarthritis groups — 35.0 and 38.3%, respectively, significant differences in the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the three groups has not been identified.&#x0D; CONCLUSIONS: It is necessary to carry out medical examination in order to identify comorbidities in patients with various forms of spondyloarthritis, in order to determine further tactics of management and correction, depending not only on the activity of the disease, but also taking into account comorbidities.

Type 17-specific immune pathways are active in early spondyloarthritis

ObjectiveUndifferentiated, early inflammatory arthritis (EIA) can differentiate into seropositive or seronegative rheumatoid arthritis (RA), peripheral spondyloarthritis (SpA) or remain as seronegative undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis (UIA). Little is known about immune...

Osteoimmunology of Spondyloarthritis.

The mechanisms underlying the development of bone damage in the context of spondyloarthritis (SpA) are not completely understood. To date, a considerable amount of evidence indicates that several developmental pathways are crucially involved in osteoimmunology. The present review explores the biological mechanisms underlying the relationship between inflammatory dysregulation, structural progression, and osteoporosis in this diverse family of conditions. We summarize the current knowledge of bone biology and balance and the foundations of bone regulation, including bone morphogenetic protein, the Wnt pathway, and Hedgehog signaling, as well as the role of cytokines in the development of bone damage in SpA. Other areas surveyed include the pathobiology of bone damage and systemic bone loss (osteoporosis) in SpA and the effects of pharmacological treatment on focal bone damage. Lastly, we present data relative to a survey of bone metabolic assessment in SpA from Italian bone specialist rheumatology centers. The results confirm that most of the attention to bone health is given to postmenopausal subjects and that the aspect of metabolic bone health may still be underrepresented. In our opinion, it may be the time for a call to action to increase the interest in and focus on the diagnosis and management of SpA.

The effect of uveitis and undiagnosed spondyloarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Delay diagnosis of spondyloarthritis (SpA) is associated with poor functional ability and quality of life. Uveitis is the most frequent extraarticular manifestation in SpA, and its prevalence increases with longer disease duration. This study examines the effect of uveitis on the disease activity and functional outcome of undiagnosed SpA. We reviewed published and unpublished studies. Data were pooled using the random-effects model; pooled means, and mean differences (MDs) were calculated. In the included 14 studies, disease activity, functional index, and inflammatory markers were measured in 2581 patients with SpA with uveitis and 13,972 without. The pooled mean delay in diagnosis of SpA with uveitis (6.08 years; 95% CI 4.77 to 7.38) was longer than those without (5.41 years; 95% CI 3.94 to 6.89). The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) score was the highest for a delay of 2–5 years (5.60, 95% CI 5.47 to 5.73) and the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) score was the lowest for a delay of < 2 years (2.92, 95% CI 2.48 to 3.37) and gradually increased to delay of > 10 years (4.17, 95% CI 2.93 to 5.41). Patients with SpA with uveitis had higher trend of Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS)-CRP and BASDAI. The delay to diagnosis was longer in SpA with uveitis, and disease activity was often higher than those without uveitis. Early diagnosis of SpA with timely initiation of an appropriate management plan may reduce the adverse effects of the disease and improve functional ability.

Development and validation of a screening tool for SPondyloArthritis Screening in Sub-Saharan Africa: SpASSS questionnaire

ObjectiveTo develop and validate a screening tool to identify patients with a high likelihood for Spondyloarthritis (SpA) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo).MethodsThe development of the SpA Screening questionnaire in Sub Saharian Africa (SpASSS) questionnaire followed 3 steps: The item generation was carried out by a systematic literature review according to the PRISMA guidelines on the clinical manifestations of SpA, interviewing clinical experts and the classification criteria for Spondyloarthritis. The candidate questions were tested in a population of 50 consecutive patients with confirmed diagnosis of spondyloarthritis, in a control population of rheumatic disease excluding SpA and in a group of 200 non-rheumatic participants, randomly chosen in the general population for question reduction and validation. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed to assess socio-demographic characteristics and response distribution for each item. Their diagnostic performance was investigated using ROC curves. For validation, principal component analysis was performed using factor analysis. Referral strategy score for SpA was determined by adjusted Cronbach’s alpha coefficient.ResultsMean ± SD age of SpA cases was 41.8 ± 14.4 years, 56% were men compared to diseased controls 60.0 ± 12.5 years, 28.7% men (p < 0.001). 14/20 items showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between SpA cases and control groups. All items were factorable and 6 components were identified. Only the two first components (C1 with 8 items, C2 with 3 items) showed a significant threshold for reliability in detection of suspected SpA with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.830 and 0.708. All validated items of these two components showed the global reliability threshold with α-adjusted Cronbach calculated at 66.9%. The performance for correctly screening SpA was demonstrated with an area under the curve of 0.938 (0.884–0.991) and 0.794 (0.728–0.861) for C1 and C2 respectively.ConclusionsThis validation and item reduction of the SpASSS questionnaire for SpA might identify patients to refer for case ascertainment and will help conducting future epidemiological and clinical studies in the DR Congo.Strengths and limitations of this study• To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in Sub-Saharan Africa based on local data to develop a screening tool for SpA in the population for epidemiological and clinical use.• Referral strategies based on context-specific data are necessary to provide accurate case definition and epidemiological data, thus reducing methodological bias.• In the SpA group, no discrimination was made regarding SpA subtypes, disease duration, activity and severity.

The Increasing Level of DKK-1 as a New Bone Formation Factor in Patients with Early Spondyloarthritis.

The role of dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK-1) in radiographic development may become a robust marker for early spondyloarthritis (SpA) diagnosis. This study aimed at determining the serum DKK-1 profile in patients with SpA and investigating its relationship with SpA progression. Supported by analyzing the BMD data which aims to affirm the potential of DKK-1 as a biomarker for early diagnosis of SpA, this research may become the early study to produce a robust tool to diminish the fatal impacts in SpA. This cross-sectional study included patients with SpA using ASAS 2010 criteria from Dr. Soetomo General Hospital, Indonesia. Collected data included patients' general characteristics, disease duration, disease activity using ASDAS-CRP and ASDAS-ESR, serum DKK-1 levels, and BMD. The patients were classified as early SpA if the disease duration was ≤5 years and established SpA if the disease duration was >5 years, while the low BMD was indicated by Z score ≤ -2.00. The correlation was tested using the Spearman or Pearson test. The differences in patients' characteristics among early and established SpA and also between low and normal BMD were tested using the unpaired T-test or the Mann-Whitney test. The serum DKK-1 levels in early SpA (7365 ± 2067 pg/dL) were significantly higher than those in established SpA (5360 ± 1054 pg/dL). Serum DKK-1 levels were also associated with disease duration (r = -0.370, p = 0.040) and BMD at the total hip (r = 0.467, p = 0.028). The differences in all patients' clinical parameters were not found between patients with low BMD at any site and patients with normal BMD unless in the BMI (p = 0.019). Our findings found DKK-1 as a potential diagnostic marker for early SpA. Early diagnosis may lead to rapid treatment to delay disease progression and prevent future impairment.

Association between serum uric acid concentration and radiographic axial spondylarthritis: a cross-sectional study of 202 patients.

Association between serum uric acid concentration and radiographic axial spondylarthritis: a cross-sectional study of 202 patients.

Human leucocyte antigen-B27 testing in clinical practice: a global perspective.

The association between human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 and spondyloarthritis (SpA) was described half a century ago. New insights about pathophysiologic pathways and their role in bone formation were reported in recent years and will be discussed in this review. There is a considerable variation in the association between HLA-B27 and SpA across the globe, with the strongest association reported in populations of Northern European and Asian descent and the lowest in the Middle East and Africa. Other genes are also involved in disease susceptibility, highlighting the importance of newly proposed weighted genetic scores to support the diagnosis. On the global level, the interaction between genetic background and gut dysbiosis seems critical for disease predisposition. As for the individual patient, the presence of HLA-B27 can have a significant influence on SpA diagnosis and disease phenotype. More importantly, new studies suggested a role for HLA-B27 in radiographic damage in the sacroiliac joints and the progression of bone formation in the spine. Findings in recent years have enhanced our understanding of the role of HLA-B27 in the pathophysiology and in disease-related bone formation in SpA, which may pave the way for new therapeutic targets.

Evolution of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Lesions at the Sacroiliac Joints During and After Pregnancy by Serial Magnetic Resonance Imaging From Gestational Week Twenty to Twelve Months Postpartum.

Sacroiliac (SI) joint magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings simulating sacroiliitis related to axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) may occur in women before and after birth. This study was undertaken to explore the prevalence, evolution, and topography of SI joint MRI lesions in pregnant and postpartum women. A prospective cohort study included 103 first-time mothers who underwent up to 5 serial SI joint MRI between gestational week 20 and 12 months postpartum. After calibration, 3 assessors independently evaluated bone marrow edema (BME), including sacroiliitis according to the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS), as well as structural lesions, using the Spondyloarthritis Research Consortium of Canada (SPARCC) and a novel 2-plane assessment method. BME was frequent both during pregnancy and the postpartum period, peaking at 3 months postpartum with a prevalence of 69% (SPARCC) and 80% (2-plane method), but still present in 54% (SPARCC) and 58% (2-plane method) of subjects at 12 months postpartum. At 12 months postpartum, sacroiliitis according to the current ASAS definition was met in 41%, while 21% and 14% of women fulfilled the newly proposed ASAS MRI thresholds for active and structural SI joint lesions, respectively. BME clustered in the anterior middle joint portions at all time points, and ligamentous BME was rare. At 12 months postpartum, SPARCC erosion scores ≥3 (ASAS threshold) were observed in only 2.8% of women. At 12 months postpartum, 41% of women met the current ASAS sacroiliitis definition, which may result in false-positive assignments of axial SpA diagnosis in postpartum women with back pain. The topographical BME distribution and virtually absent erosions (ASAS threshold) at 12 months postpartum may help discriminate postpartum strain-related conditions from axial SpA-related sacroiliitis.

The value of different involvement patterns of the knee "synovio-entheseal complex" in the differential diagnosis of spondyloarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis: an MRI-based study.

To explore the different involvement patterns of the knee "synovio-entheseal complex (SEC)" on MRI in patients with spondyloarthritis (SPA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and osteoarthritis (OA). This study retrospectively included 120 patients (male:female, 55:65) with a mean age of 39.20years diagnosed with SPA (n = 40), RA (n = 40), and OA (n = 40) at the First Central Hospital of Tianjin between January 2020 and May 2022. Six knee entheses were assessed by two musculoskeletal radiologists according to the SEC definition. Bone marrow lesions associated with entheses include bone marrow edema (BME) and bone erosion (BE), which were classified as entheseal or peri-entheseal based on their relationship to the entheses. Three groups (OA, RA, and SPA) were established to characterize the location of enthesitis and the different SEC involvement patterns. Inter-group and intra-group differences were analyzed using the ANOVA or chi-square tests, and the inter-class correlation coefficient (ICC) test was used to determine inter-reader agreement. The study contained a total of 720 entheses. The SEC-based analysis revealed different involvement patterns in three groups. The OA group had the most abnormal signals in tendons/ligaments (p = 0.002). The RA group had considerably greater synovitis (p = 0.002). The majority of peri-entheseal BE was identified in the OA and RA groups (p = 0.003). Furthermore, entheseal BME in the SPA group was significantly different from those in the other two groups (p < 0.001). SEC involvement patterns differed in SPA, RA, and OA, which is important for differential diagnosis. SEC should be used as a whole evaluation method in clinical practice. • The "synovio-entheseal complex (SEC)" explained differences and characteristic alterations in the knee joint in patients with spondyloarthritis (SPA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and osteoarthritis (OA). • The various SEC involvement patterns are crucial for differentiating SPA, RA, and OA. • When "knee pain" is the only symptom, a detailed identification of characteristic alterations in the knee joint of SPA patients may help timely treatment and delay the structural damage.

Role of Patrick-FABER test in detecting sacroiliitis and diagnosing spondyloarthritis in subjects with low back pain.

To evaluate sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of Patrick-FABER test in assessing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sacroiliitis and addressing the diagnosis of spondyloarthritis (SpA) in subjects with low back pain (LBP). Subjects with LBP were consecutively enrolled. The assessors were blinded to patients' clinical, laboratory, or imaging data. All subjects underwent sacroiliac joint MRI to detect presence of sacroiliac oedema or structural changes. One hundred and ten subjects were included in the study [males (61.8%); median age of 45 (21-69) years; LBP duration of 78 (3-240) months]. Patrick-FABER test sign's sensitivity was 76.2% (95% CI: 60.5-87.9%), specificity was 66.2% (95% CI: 53.6-77.2%), positive predictive value (PPV) was 58.1% (95% CI: 44.1-71.3%) and negative predictive value (NPV) was 81.8% (95% CI: 69.1-90.9%) for the diagnosis of sacroiliitis, with an overall diagnostic accuracy of 70%. At the univariate and multivariate analysis, Patrick-FABER test sign was associated with inflammatory lesions of sacroiliitis at MRI and SpA diagnosis. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed an association between smoking status (p=0.01), sacroiliitis, and SpA diagnosis. The odds of having sacroiliitis was 2.7 higher in smokers (OR: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.1-7) as compared to non-smokers and 6.3 higher in those with a positive Patrick-FABER test sign (OR: 6.3; 95%CI: 2.5-15.6) as compared to those with a negative sign. Our study shows that Patrick-FABER test positivity could represent a useful clinical test for addressing the use of sacroiliac joints MRI and SpA diagnosis in subjects with LBP. Further, smoking habit could represent an associate anamnestic element for addressing the use of sacroiliac MRI.

Axial Spondyloarthritis and Diagnostic Challenges: Over-diagnosis, Misdiagnosis, and Under-diagnosis.

This article aims to review the challenges in axial spondyloarthritis diagnosis and identify the possible contributing factors. The inability to reach an accurate diagnosis in a timely fashion can lead to treatment delays and worse disease outcomes. The lack of validated diagnostic criteria and the misuse of the currently available classification criteria could be contributing. There is also significant inter-reader variability in interpreting images, and the radiologic definitions of axial spondyloarthritis continue to be re-defined to improve their positive predictive value. The role of inflammatory back pain features, serologic biomarkers, genetics, and their diagnostic contribution to axial spondyloarthritis continues to be investigated. There is still a significant amount of delay in the diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis. Appreciating the factors that contribute to this delay is of utmost importance to close the gap. It is similarly important to recognize other conditions that may present with symptoms that mimic axial spondyloarthritis so that misdiagnosis and wrong treatment can be avoided.

Keep an Eye on the Back: Spondyloarthritis in Patients With Acute Anterior Uveitis.

This study was undertaken to analyze the prevalence of spondyloarthritis (SpA) in patients with acute anterior uveitis (AAU), to identify parameters associated with the presence of SpA, and to evaluate the performance of referral algorithms for identifying patients with a high probability of having SpA. Prospectively recruited consecutive patients with noninfectious AAU underwent structured rheumatologic assessment including magnetic resonance imaging of the sacroiliac joints, allowing a definitive diagnosis/exclusion of concomitant SpA. Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare AAU patients with SpA and AAU patients without SpA. Furthermore, logistic regression analyses were performed. The predictive performance of SpA referral strategies was analyzed by calculating the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and positive and negative likelihood ratios. Among the 189 AAU patients evaluated, 106 (56%) were diagnosed as having SpA. The majority of SpA patients (93%) had predominantly axial SpA and 7 patients had peripheral SpA. In 74 patients (70%), the SpA diagnosis was established for the first time. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, psoriasis (odds ratio [OR] 12.5 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.3-120.2]), HLA-B27 positivity (OR 6.3 [95% CI 2.4-16.4]), elevated C-reactive protein level (OR 4.8 [95% CI 1.9-12.4]), and male sex (OR 2.1 [95% CI 1.1-4.2]) were associated with the presence of SpA. None of the ophthalmologic parameters were found to be predictive of SpA. The Dublin Uveitis Evaluation Tool (DUET) showed higher specificity for SpA recognition than the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) tool for the early referral of patients with a suspected diagnosis of axial SpA (specificity for SpA 42% versus 28%), whereas the sensitivity of the ASAS tool was slightly higher than the DUET tool (sensitivity for SpA 80% versus 78%). However, more than 20% of the AAU patients in this study who were diagnosed as having SpA would have been missed by both referral strategies. Our study revealed a high prevalence of SpA in AAU patients overall, as well as a high prevalence of previously undiagnosed SpA in AAU patients. Therefore, we propose rheumatologic evaluation for all AAU patients with musculoskeletal symptoms.