@article {Benegasjrheum.110687, author = {Mariana Benegas and Elisa Mu{\~n}oz-Gomariz and Pilar Font and Ruben Burgos-Vargas and Jos{\'e} Chaves and Daniel Palleiro and Jos{\'e} Maldonado Cocco and Miguel Guti{\'e}rrez and Ricardo S{\'a}enz and Ivan Steckmen and Oscar Rillo and Juan Mulero and Percival Sampaio-Barros and Anabela Barcelos and Bert Vander Cruyssen and Janitzia Vazquez-Mellado and Eduardo Collantes Estevez}, title = {Comparison of the Clinical Expression of Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis from Europe and Latin America}, elocation-id = {jrheum.110687}, year = {2012}, doi = {10.3899/jrheum.110687}, publisher = {The Journal of Rheumatology}, abstract = {Objective To compare the clinical, demographic, and serologic characteristics and the treatment of patients diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) from Europe (EU) and Latin America (LA). Methods We included 3439 patients from national registries: the Spanish Registry of Spondyloarthritis (REGISPONSER), the Belgian registry (ASPECT), and the Latin American Registry of Spondyloarthropathies (RESPONDIA). We selected patients with diagnosis of AS who met the modified New York classification criteria. Demographic, clinical, disease activity, functional, and metrological measurement data were recorded. Current treatment was recorded. The population was classified into 2 groups: patients with disease duration \< 10 years and those with disease duration >= 10 years. A descriptive and comparative analysis of variables of both groups was carried out. Results There were 2356 patients in EU group and 1083 in LA group. Prevalence of HLA-B27 was 71\% in LA group and 83\% in EU group (p \< 0.001). We found a greater frequency of peripheral arthritis and enthesitis (p \< 0.001) in the LA population; prevalence of arthritis was 57\% in LA and 42\% in EU, and for enthesitis, 54\% and 38\%. Except for treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF), the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID), corticosteroids, and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD), and the association of anti-TNF and methotrexate use showed a significant difference (p \< 0.001) in the 2 populations. Conclusion The principal differences in the clinical manifestations of patients with AS from EU and LA were the greater frequency of peripheral arthritis and enthesitis in LA group, the higher percentage of HLA-B27 in EU group, and the form of treatment, with a greater use of NSAID, steroids, and DMARD in the LA group.}, issn = {0315-162X}, URL = {https://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2012/11/10/jrheum.110687}, eprint = {https://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2012/11/10/jrheum.110687.full.pdf}, journal = {The Journal of Rheumatology} }