Correlations of AS variables and intima-media thickness.
| Variable | Result | r (Pearson) | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age at onset of AS, yrs | 25.1 ± 11.2 | 0.423 | 0.001 |
| Juvenile AS (< 16 yrs), n (%)* | 10 (16.7) | 0.572 | |
| Disease duration, yrs | 13.1 ± 8.5 | 0.097 | 0.466 |
| BASDAI, 0–10 | 4.9 ± 2.7 | 0.412 | 0.002 |
| ASDAS vs | 3.5 ± 1.3 | 0.264 | 0.047 |
| ASDAS CRP | 3.4 ± 1.4 | 0.325 | 0.012 |
| BASFI, 0–10 | 4.4 ± 3 | 0.361 | 0.008 |
| ASQoL, 0–18 | 7.5 ± 6 | 0.259 | 0.075 |
| BASG-s, 0–100 | 53.2 ± 27.6 | −0.028 | 0.828 |
| Hip arthritis* (+) | 55 | 0.487 | |
| Walked distance, km | 1.33 ± 1.72 | −0.140 | 0.294 |
| Lequesne index | 6.1 ± 6.4 | −0.125 | 0.345 |
| Global spine pain VAS, 0–10 | 5.2 ± 2.6 | 0.655 | 0.000 |
| Peripheral arthritis (other than hips)* (+) | 22 (36) | 0.211 | |
| Articular pain VAS, 0–10 | 27 ± 30 | −0.112 | 0.442 |
| MASES, 0–13 | 2.1 ± 2.9 | 0.110 | 0.482 |
| Cervical rotation, degrees | 87° ± 2 | −0.048 | 0.722 |
| Chest wall expansion distance, cm | 3.1 ± 1.5 | −0.277 | 0.881 |
| Occiput to wall distance, cm | 6.4 ± 6.3 | 0.021 | 0.881 |
| Schober index, cm | 2.2 ± 1.4 | −0.296 | 0.039 |
| Ground to finger distance, cm | 18.6 ± 14.9 | 0.141 | 0.303 |
| BASMI, 0–10 | 4.3 ± 1.9 | 0.348 | 0.028 |
| mSASSS, 0–72 | 15.4 ± 17.1 | 0.315 | 0.035 |
| BASRI, 0–16 | 8.7 ± 3.8 | 0.230 | 0.092 |
| HLA-B27* (+), % | 48 | 0.528 | |
| ESR, % high level*, % | 65 | 0.001 | |
| CRP, % high level*, % | 50 | 0.000 | |
| Treatment | |||
| NSAID, n (%)* | 57 (95) | 0.795 | |
| Diclofenac, n (%)* | 15 (25) | 0.977 | |
| Indomethacin, n (%)* | 31 (51.6) | 0.818 | |
| Steroids (yes), n (%)* | 5 (8.3) | –0.024 | 0.573 |
| Cumulative dose, mg | 147 ± 71 | 0.858 | |
| DMARD, n (%)* | 21 (35) | 0.905 | |
| SSZ, n (%)* | 18 (30) | 0.540 | |
| MTX, n (%)* | 3 (5) | 0.136 | |
| Anti-TNF* | 4 (6.6) | 0.368 | |
| Infliximab, n (%)* | 1 (1.6) | 0.869 | |
| Etanercept, n (%)* | 3 (5) | 0.351 |
↵* Statistics test: ANOVA. BASDAI: Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index; BASFI: Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index; ASDAS: Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score; BASMI:: Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index; BASRI: Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Radiological Index; BASG-s: Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis global score; mSASSS: modified Stoke Ankylosing Spondylitis Spine Score; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP: C-reactive protein; NSAID: nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs; SSZ: sulfasalazine; MTX: methotrexate; TNF: tumor necrosis factor; VAS: visual analog scale; MASES: Maastricht AS Enthesitis Score; ASQoL: AS Quality of Life index.