@article {Jacquemin425, author = {Charlotte Jacquemin and Walter P. Maksymowych and Annelies Boonen and Laure Gossec}, title = {Patient-reported Flares in Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Cross-sectional Analysis of 234 Patients}, volume = {44}, number = {4}, pages = {425--430}, year = {2017}, doi = {10.3899/jrheum.160838}, publisher = {The Journal of Rheumatology}, abstract = {Objective. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is characterized by periodic flares. The objective of this study was to assess the frequency of patient-reported flares and their related factors.Methods. This cross-sectional study analyzed the 2004 data of a Canadian cohort. Participants had AS according to the modified New York criteria. Current flare status ({\textquotedblleft}Are you experiencing a current flare{\textquotedblright}?), number of flares over the past 3 months, their average duration, the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity and Functional Index (BASDAI and BASFI, respectively), and the AS Quality of Life questionnaire were assessed by self-report. Univariate and multivariate regressions analyzed the factors associated with current flare.Results. Among 234 analyzed patients, 169 (73.5\%) were men, mean age was 45.5 ({\textpm} 11.8) years, mean disease duration of 21.7 ({\textpm} 11.7) years, and mean BASDAI and BASFI (0{\textendash}10) of 4.4 ({\textpm} 2.3) and 3.4 ({\textpm} 2.6), respectively; 18 (7.7\%) received antitumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF). Overall, 175 patients (74.8\%) reported flares and 117 (50\%) were currently in flare. Patients reporting flares had a median of 3 flares in 3 months, with a median duration of 2 weeks. Overall, the 234 patients spent a median of 25\% of their time in flare. In multivariate analyses, current flare was significantly associated with higher BASDAI (OR 2.01, p = 0.01), worse quality of life (OR 1.37, p = 0.004), shorter AS duration (OR 1.19, p = 0.04), and less anti-TNF (OR 7.14, p = 0.03).Conclusion. In this population, before the wide use of biologics, flares were frequent and long. As expected, flare was associated with higher disease activity, suggesting the validity of the concept of patient-reported flares.}, issn = {0315-162X}, URL = {https://www.jrheum.org/content/44/4/425}, eprint = {https://www.jrheum.org/content/44/4/425.full.pdf}, journal = {The Journal of Rheumatology} }