Being female increases risk of eye inflammation in people with axial spondyloarthritis – new findings

Gender and disease duration can help predict which people with axial spondyloarthritis will develop other manifestations such as eye inflammation, a team reported at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting.Axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) is a type of spondyloarthritis in which people often experience manifestations in other areas, such as eye inflammation, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease.

Data from 564 people in Ireland with ankylosing spondylitis was analysed. Average age was 47 years old, 78% were men and average disease duration was 21 years.

Key findings

• Of the participants, 36% had eye inflammation, 18% had psoriasis and 10% had inflammatory bowel disease;
• Eye inflammation was higher in women, those in late disease and people with peripheral arthritis;
• Inflammatory bowel disease was higher in women and in those with an elevated C-reactive protein test at the start of the study, peptic ulcer disease and osteoporosis;
• Psoriasis prevalence was not affected by disease duration, gender or smoking.

“As rheumatologists, we adopt a holistic approach with our patients. It is important for us to tackle all aspects of AxSpA, including associated conditions,” says Dr Gillian Fitzgerald, one of the lead authors. “Some of these conditions can be obvious, such as extensive psoriasis, but others can be quite subtle, such as mild inflammatory bowel disease, where the symptoms can often be attributed to other causes. A lack of knowledge regarding which subsets of patients are more likely to develop these conditions is a key barrier to identifying and treating them. Our findings help us to bridge this knowledge gap.”

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