Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2015 Dec 21:16:392.
doi: 10.1186/s12891-015-0853-2.

The prevalence of axial spondyloarthritis in the UK: a cross-sectional cohort study

Louise Hamilton  1 , Alex Macgregor  2 , Andoni Toms  3 , Victoria Warmington  4 , Edward Pinch  5 , Karl Gaffney  6
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

The prevalence of axial spondyloarthritis in the UK: a cross-sectional cohort study

Louise Hamilton et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Accurate prevalence data are important when interpreting diagnostic tests and planning for the health needs of a population, yet no such data exist for axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) in the UK. In this cross-sectional cohort study we aimed to estimate the prevalence of axSpA in a UK primary care population.

Methods: A validated self-completed questionnaire was used to screen primary care patients with low back pain for inflammatory back pain (IBP). Patients with a verifiable pre-existing diagnosis of axSpA were included as positive cases. All other patients meeting the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) IBP criteria were invited to undergo further assessment including MRI scanning, allowing classification according to the European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) and ASAS axSpA criteria, and the modified New York (mNY) criteria for ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Results: Of 978 questionnaires sent to potential participants 505 were returned (response rate 51.6 %). Six subjects had a prior diagnosis of axSpA, 4 of whom met mNY criteria. Thirty eight of 75 subjects meeting ASAS IBP criteria attended review (mean age 53.5 years, 37 % male). The number of subjects satisfying classification criteria was 23 for ESSG, 3 for ASAS (2 clinical, 1 radiological) and 1 for mNY criteria. This equates to a prevalence of 5.3 % (95 % CI 4.0, 6.8) using ESSG, 1.3 % (95 % CI 0.8, 2.3) using ASAS, 0.66 % (95 % CI 0.28, 1.3) using mNY criteria in chronic back pain patients, and 1.2 % (95 % CI 0.9, 1.4) using ESSG, 0.3 % (95 % CI 0.13, 0.48) using ASAS, 0.15 % (95 % CI 0.02, 0.27) using mNY criteria in the general adult primary care population.

Conclusions: These are the first prevalence estimates for axSpA in the UK, and will be of importance in planning for the future healthcare needs of this population.

Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN76873217.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Recruitment of participants at each stage of the study
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lawrence JS. The prevalence of arthritis. Br J Clin Pract. 1963;17:699–705. - PubMed
    1. Kellgren JH, Lawrence JS, Aitken-Swan J. Rheumatic complaints in an urban population. Ann Rheum Dis. 1953;12(1):5–15. doi: 10.1136/ard.12.1.5. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Underwood MR, Dawes P. Inflammatory back pain in primary care. Br J Rheumatol. 1995;34(11):1074–7. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/34.11.1074. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rudwaleit M, van der Heijde D, Landewé R, Listing J, Akkoc N, Brandt J, et al. The development of Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society classification criteria for axial spondyloarthritis (part II): validation and final selection. Ann Rheum Dis. 2009;68(6):777–83. doi: 10.1136/ard.2009.108233. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rojas-Vargas M, Muñoz-Gomariz E, Escudero A, Font P, Zarco P, Almodovar R, et al. First signs and symptoms of spondyloarthritis--data from an inception cohort with a disease course of two years or less (REGISPONSER-Early) Rheumatology (Oxford) 2009;48(4):404–9. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/ken506. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data