The demographic and clinical characteristics of patients and healthy controls.
| Characteristics | Healthy Controls | AS (0M) | AS (1M, Response) | AS (1M, Nonresponse) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. subjects | 12 | 26 | 15 | 5 |
| Age, yrs, (range) | 22 (16–36) | 22.5 (15–38) | 21 (17–29) | 23 (17–25) |
| Male, n (%) | 10 (83.3) | 21 (80.77) | 12 (80) | 3 (60) |
| HLA-B27+ (%) | 0 (0) | 22 (84.62) | 14 (93.3) | 4 (80) |
| Disease duration, yrs (range) | NA | 2.5 (1.5–16) | 2.5 (1.5–4.5) | 2 (1.5–5.5) |
| ESR, mm/h | 4 (1.5–16) | 50 (16–90)* | 20 (6–31)# | 56 (19–89) |
| CRP, mg/dl | 2.1 (1.3–3.6) | 36.7 (5.59–89.4)* | 8.6 (1.2–20.9)# | 32.7 (12.8–54.8) |
| IgA, IU/ml | 1.05 (0.8–3.65) | 2.89 (1.55–4.63)* | 1.64 (1.25–4.13)# | 2.14 (1.18–3.07) |
| IgG, IU/ml | 8.1 (7.2–12.5) | 13.2 (9.5–16.8)* | 9.8 (8.4–13.4)# | 10.7 (6.8–13.8) |
| IgM, IU/ml | 0.86 (0.46–2.05) | 1.28 (0.59–2.16) | 1.21 (0.61–2.23) | 1.19 (0.68–2.31) |
| BASDAI or ASAS20 (%)^ | NA | 5.075 (4–6.8) | 15 (100%)^ | 4.65 (4.38–4.8) |
| WBC (109/l) | 5 (4.2–9.5) | 7 (4.2–12.4)* | 5.7 (4.7–10.8)# | 6.5 (4.8–7.4) |
Data are median (range) or actual number of cases. ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP: C-reactive protein; BASDAI: Bath AS Disease Activity Index; WBC: white blood cell counts; 0M: baseline values before treatment; 1M: 1 mo after treatment;
↵* p < 0.05 vs healthy controls;
↵# p < 0.05 vs AS patients (0M);
↵^ ASAS20: Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society criteria for 20% improvement (ASAS20); NA: not applicable. Normal ranges of individual measures are CRP: 0–3 (mg/dl), ESR: 0–15 (mm/h), IgA: 0.7–4 (IU/ml), IgG: 7–16 (IU/ml), IgM: 0.4–2.3 (IU/ml), and WBC: 4–10 (109/l).