Clinical characteristics of patients with axSpA in the SPARTAKUS cohort.
| AS n = 120 | nr-axSpA n = 55 | |
|---|---|---|
| Age, yrs | 55 (13) | 46 (12)** |
| Sex, female, n (%) | 43 (36) | 37 (67)** |
| Duration of symptoms, yrs | 30 (14) | 19 (12)** |
| HLA-B27–positive, n (%) | 99 (85) | 45 (83) |
| Sacroiliitis on plain radiograph, n (%) | 120 (100) | 0 (0)** |
| SIJ MRI available, n (%) | 55 (46) | 39 (71)** |
| SIJ BME on MRI, n (%) | 25 (45) | 20 (51) |
| CRP, mg/L | 4.3 (6.2) | 2.5 (2.7)* |
| ASDAS-CRP | 2.0 (1.0) | 1.9 (0.9) |
| BASDAI | 3.2 (2.3) | 3.4 (2.2) |
| BASFI | 2.5 (2.5) | 2.2 (2.2) |
| BASMI | 3.6 (1.8) | 2.4 (1.1)** |
| Chest expansion, cm | 4.6 (1.9) | 5.1 (1.9) |
| Vital capacity, L | 3.6 (1.1) | 3.8 (1.0) |
| MASES, 0-15 | 4.2 (3.7) | 5.7 (4.1)* |
| VAS fatigue, 0–100 | 37 (27) | 41 (29) |
| VAS global, 0–100 | 33 (26) | 39 (25) |
| EQ-5D utilitya | 0.71 (0.26) | 0.69 (0.24) |
| HADS, 0–21 | ||
| Anxiety | 5.4 (3.7) | 6.2 (3.9) |
| Depression | 4.3 (2.9) | 4.6 (4.0) |
| Smoking, n (%) | ||
| Ever | 56 (48) | 13 (24)* |
| Never | 62 (53) | 42 (76) |
| BMI, n (%) | ||
| < 18.5 | 1 (1) | 1 (2) |
| 18.5–24.9 | 42 (35) | 23 (42) |
| 25–29.9 | 44 (37) | 18 (33) |
| > 30 | 33 (27) | 13 (23) |
| Treatment, n (%) | ||
| csDMARDs | 22 (18) | 14 (26) |
| bDMARDs | 51 (43) | 23 (42) |
| Corticosteroids | 13 (11) | 2 (4) |
Presented as mean (SD) unless otherwise indicated.
↵* P < 0.05.
↵** P < 0.001 for comparison with the AS group.
↵a Utilities calculated by the British time trade-off–based preference set. Missing data: HLA-B27, 7 (3%); CRP, 13 (7%); ASDAS-CRP, 26 (12%); BASDAI, 6 (3%); BASFI, 8 (5%); BASMI, 1 (0.6%), chest expansion, 1 (0.6%); vital capacity, 2 (1%); VAS fatigue/global, 3 (2%); EQ-5D, 6 (3%); HADS-anxiety/depression 14 (8%); smoking, 2 (1%); corticosteroids, 1 (0.6%). AS: ankylosing spondylitis; axSpA: axial spondyloarthritis; ASDAS-CRP: Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score using C-reactive protein: BASDAI: Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index; BASFI: Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index; BASMI: Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index; bDMARD: biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; BME: bone marrow edema; csDMARD: conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; EQ-5D: EuroQol-5 Dimensions; HADS: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; MASES: Maastricht Ankylosing Spondylitis Enthesitis Score; nr-axSpA: nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis; SIJ: sacroiliac joint.