PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Mariana Benegas
AU  - Elisa Muñoz-Gomariz
AU  - Pilar Font
AU  - Ruben Burgos-Vargas
AU  - José Chaves
AU  - Daniel Palleiro
AU  - José  Maldonado Cocco
AU  - Miguel Gutiérrez
AU  - Ricardo Sáenz
AU  - Ivan Steckmen
AU  - Oscar Rillo
AU  - Juan Mulero
AU  - Percival Sampaio-Barros
AU  - Anabela Barcelos
AU  - Bert Vander Cruyssen
AU  - Janitzia Vazquez-Mellado
AU  - Eduardo  Collantes Estevez
TI  - Comparison of the Clinical Expression of Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis from Europe and Latin America
AID  - 10.3899/jrheum.110687
DP  - 2012 Nov 12
TA  - The Journal of Rheumatology
PG  - jrheum.110687
4099  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2012/11/10/jrheum.110687.short
4100  - http://www.jrheum.org/content/early/2012/11/10/jrheum.110687.full
AB  - 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.