PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Nai Lee Lui
AU  - Nigil Haroon
AU  - Adele Carty
AU  - Hua Shen
AU  - Richard J. Cook
AU  - Sutha Shanmugarajah
AU  - Dafna D. Gladman
AU  - Robert D. Inman
TI  - Effect of Pregnancy on Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Case-Control Study
AID  - 10.3899/jrheum.101174
DP  - 2011 Aug 15
TA  - The Journal of Rheumatology
PG  - jrheum.101174
4099  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2011/08/10/jrheum.101174.short
4100  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2011/08/10/jrheum.101174.full
AB  - Objective To evaluate the effect of pregnancy on ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods Our study aimed to determine the severity of back pain and stiffness pre-, during, and postpartum in patients with AS and controls, and corresponding extraarticular symptoms. Results Nineteen female patients with AS (35 pregnancies) and 33 controls (77 pregnancies) were studied. Improvement in pain was reported in 51% of AS patients, predominantly in the first trimester, with significant improvement in pain than stiffness. In both groups, pain worsened in later stages, likely secondary to biomechanical loading. Postpartum pain scores in AS returned to prepartum levels in general. Conclusion Pregnancy does not substantially aggravate disease activity or severity in AS.