Characteristics of the total AS population and the subgroups with and without work disability (continuous variables).
| Variable | Total AS Population, n = 699 | AS Patients with Work Disability, n = 179 | AS Patients without Work Disability, n = 520 | p* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs | 48.7 ± 12.7 | 56.4 ± 10.0 | 46.1 ± 12.5 | < 0.0001 |
| Disease duration, yrs | 14.1 ± 10.1 | 19.7 ± 9.7 | 12.1 ± 9.5 | < 0.0001 |
| Patient global assessment | 4.8 ± 2.7 | 5.3 ± 2.7 | 4.6 ± 2.7 | 0.002 |
| Patient pain assessment | 4.2 ± 2.8 | 4.5 ± 2.8 | 4.2 ± 2.7 | 0.2 |
| Patient night pain assessment | 4.0 ± 3.0 | 4.5 ± 3.0 | 3.9 ± 3.0 | 0.01 |
| Physician global assessment | 3.2 ± 2.0 | 3.3 ± 2.0 | 3.1 ± 2.2 | 0.3 |
| BASDAI | 4.2 ± 2.4 | 4.7 ± 2.2 | 4.0 ± 2.4 | 0.0008 |
| BASFI | 3.8 ± 2.7 | 5.3 ± 2.4 | 3.3 ± 2.6 | < 0.0001 |
| t-BASRI | 7.4 ± 4.2 | 10.2 ± 3.9 | 6.4 + 3.8 | < 0.0001 |
| s-BASRI | 6.4 ± 4.4 | 8.6 ± 3.2 | 5.7 ± 3.1 | < 0.0001 |
| Chest expansion | 3.5 ± 2.0 | 2.6 ± 1.8 | 3.9 ± 2.0 | < 0.0001 |
| Schober | 2.9 ± 2.0 | 2.2 ± 2.2 | 3.2 ± 1.9 | < 0.0001 |
| Occiput to wall | 4.9 ± 6.2 | 8.2 + 7.1 | 3.8 ± 5.4 | < 0.0001 |
| Finger to floor | 19.6 ± 14.8 | 26.5 ± 13.0 | 17.2 ± 14.7 | < 0.0001 |
| Lumbar side flexion | 21.4 ± 19.8 | 23.7 ± 24.0 | 20.6 ± 18.0 | 0.07 |
| C-reactive protein | 9.1 ± 14.3 | 8.6 ± 11.7 | 9.2 ± 15.0 | 0.6 |
| ASQOL | 7.2 ± 5.1 | 9.5 ± 4.8 | 6.4 ± 5.0 | < 0.0001 |
↵* Unpaired t test. BASDAI: Bath AS Disease Activity Index; BASFI: Bath AS Functional Index; t-BASRI: total Bath AS Radiology Index; s-BASRI: spine Bath AS Radiology Index; ASQOL: Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life scale.