TY - JOUR T1 - Radiographic Evidence of Hip Joint Recovery in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis after Treatment with Anti-tumor Necrosis Factor Agents: A Case Series JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 1759 LP - 1760 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.161401 VL - 44 IS - 11 AU - RAN SONG AU - SANG WAN CHUNG AU - SANG-HOON LEE Y1 - 2017/11/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/44/11/1759.abstract N2 - To the Editor:Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the axial skeleton and large peripheral joints. The efficacy of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists in the treatment of AS has been documented in several metaanalyses of randomized trials, in which significant improvements in disease activity were observed1. However, there is no evidence that anti-TNF-α agents prevent radiographic progression in patients with AS. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), anti-TNF-α agents can prevent bone erosion and radiographic progression by suppressing osteoclast activity2,3. Unlike new bone formation in the axial spine, synovial inflammation within the hip joint induces bone erosion and subsequent joint destruction4,5 in AS. Additionally, the histological appearance of the synovial membrane of the hip joint in patients with AS is similar to that observed in RA6. These results suggest that both osteoproliferative and osteodestructive changes may occur in parallel at different sites in AS. In the present case series, we reviewed 6 patients with AS whose hip joint space … Address correspondence to Professor S.H. Lee, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, 892 Dongnam-ro, Gangdong-gu, Seoul 134-727, Republic of Korea. E-mail: boltaguni{at}yahoo.co.kr ER -