Clinical and demographic characteristics of the AS subjects and controls.
| Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS)
Mean (± SD) or n (%) | Controls
Mean (± SD) or n (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs | 44.9 ± 15.1 (range 19–75) | 43.4 ± 16.9 (range 18–79) |
| HLA-B27 status, n positive | 21 (100) | 2 (9.5) |
| Sex, male | 14 (66.6) | 14 (66.6) |
| Current NSAID use | 17 (81) | |
| Current DMARD use | 4 (19) | |
| BASMI score | 3.6 ± 2.4 | |
| BASFI score | 5.1 ± 1.8 | |
| BAS-G score | 4.7 ± 1.4 | |
| BASDAI score | 5.5 ± 1.6 | |
| CRP, mg/l | 13.8 ± 12.2 | |
| n of patients with peripheral arthritis | 7 (33) | |
| Peripheral tender joint count | 1.8 ± 1.9 | |
| Peripheral swollen joint count | 0.7 ± 1.2 | |
| MASES Enthesitis Index | 2.78 ± 3.0 | |
| Duration of morning stiffness, h | 0.8 ± 0.8 | |
| Extraarticular features | 5 (24) |
SD: standard deviation; BASMI: Bath AS Metrology Index; BASFI: Functional Index; BAS-G: Patient global assessment; BASDAI: Disease Activity Index; MASES: Maastrict AS Enthesitis score; NSAID: nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs; DMARD: disease modifying antirheumatic drugs; CRP: C-reactive protein.