@article {Onen305, author = {Fatos Onen and Servet Akar and Merih Birlik and Ismail Sari and Muhammad Asim Khan and Oguz Gurler and Alp Ergor and Metin Manisali and Nurullah Akkoc}, title = {Prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis and related spondyloarthritides in an urban area of Izmir, Turkey.}, volume = {35}, number = {2}, pages = {305--309}, year = {2008}, publisher = {The Journal of Rheumatology}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and related spondyloarthritides (SpA) in an adult urban population of Izmir, Turkey. METHODS: A survey was conducted of 2887 subjects aged 20 years or over, selected by cluster sampling. Those who responded positively to the screening questions were contacted by 2 rheumatologists and evaluated in detail to establish presence of AS (modified New York criteria) or related SpA (ESSG criteria). RESULTS: In the initial screening, 2835 subjects participated; 422 were considered screening-positive and a telephone interview was done with 328 (78\%). Based on their clinical history, 145 subjects were invited to the hospital and 120 (83\%) agreed to do so. After detailed evaluation, 31 subjects were classified as having SpA (including 14 with AS). The age- and sex-adjusted prevalence was estimated to be 0.49\% for AS (95\% CI 0.26-0.85), and 1.05\% for SpA (95\% CI 0.70-1.50). The prevalence of AS was 0.54\% in men (95\% CI 0.19-1.20) and 0.44\% in women (95\% CI 0.19-0.88), and that of SpA was 0.88\% in men (95\% CI 0.42-1.59) and 1.22\% in women (95\% CI 0.73-1.89). CONCLUSION: This epidemiological study suggests a high prevalence (0.49\%) of AS in an adult urban population from western Turkey, which equals that of rheumatoid arthritis in the same population. The overall prevalence of SpA, including AS, was 1.05\%. A minimal male predominance was noted among AS patients, which disappeared among the whole group of patients with SpA.}, issn = {0315-162X}, URL = {https://www.jrheum.org/content/35/2/305}, eprint = {https://www.jrheum.org/content/35/2/305.full.pdf}, journal = {The Journal of Rheumatology} }