Comparison of clinical, laboratory and radiographic data between patients with AS with and without spinal fusion. Values are mean ± standard deviation, unless indicated otherwise.
| Characteristic | With Spinal Fusion, n = 60 | Without Spinal Fusion, n = 60 | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men, % | 85.0 | 76.7 | 0.354 |
| Age, yrs | 41.6 ± 12.6 | 29.7 ± 8.3 | < 0.01* |
| Age at onset, yrs | 26.8 ± 11.3 | 23.4 ± 7.0 | 0.115 |
| Disease duration, yrs | 14.8 ± 8.5 | 6.0 ± 5.9 | < 0.001* |
| Enthesitis, % | 43.3 | 31.7 | 0.258 |
| Uveitis, % | 13.3 | 10.0 | 0.777 |
| Peripheral arthritis, % | 60.0 | 66.7 | 0.570 |
| HLA-B27, % | 96.7 | 86.7 | 0.095 |
| NSAID, % | 76.7 | 70 | 0.536 |
| Sulfasalazine, % | 43.3 | 40 | 0.853 |
| BASRI-spine | 9.5 ± 3.0 | 3.0 ± 1.2 | < 0.001* |
| mSASSS | 36.2 ± 23.2 | 0.8 ± 2.7 | < 0.001* |
| BASDAI | 4.5 ± 2.1 | 4.7 ± 2.1 | 0.791 |
| BASFI | 4.1 ± 2.5 | 2.6 ± 2.5 | 0.001* |
| BASMI | 6.0 ± 1.8 | 2.0 ± 1.8 | < 0.001* |
| BAS-G | 5.9 ± 2.8 | 5.7 ± 2.7 | 0.625 |
| BMP-2 | 98.0 ± 188.5 | 86.6 ± 136.5 | < 0.001* |
| BMP-4 | 133.6 ± 129.4 | 125.2 ± 446.9 | < 0.001* |
| BMP-7 | 51.2 ± 96.0 | 36.7 ± 64.2 | 0.005* |
| ESR, mm/h | 31.8 ± 25.3 | 23.0 ± 21.0 | 0.041* |
| CRP, mg/dl | 2.2 ± 2.1 | 1.5 ± 1.6 | 0.027* |
↵* Statistically significant. p values calculated by Mann-Whitney U test, except sex, enthesitis, uveitis, peripheral arthritis, NSAID, and sulfasalazine by chi-square test, and HLA-B27 by Fisher exact test. See text for definitions.