BSR guidelines for TNF blockers in ankylosing spondylitis: reply

Anti-TNF-α Therapy for Ankylosing Spondylitis

BACKGROUND This review evaluated the safety and efficacy of etanercept in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS Of 59 patients with AS, this study reviewed 11 patients who were refractory to conventional therapy and treated with etanercept from September 2005 to January 2008. The mean follow-up duration was 13.6 months. The general improvement was evaluated by the Bath Ankylosing...

Urolithiasis in ankylosing spondylitis: Correlation with Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI), Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI) and Bath ankylosing spondylitis metrology index (BASMI)

Background: Increased incidence of renal stone has been reported in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), but unlike some well-known renal involvements, they have not been fully studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of AS with urolithiasis and also the relation between urinary stone and severity markers. Methods: One hundred-sixty three AS patients were included in a cross-s...

Reparative radiological changes of hip joint after TNF inhibitors in ankylosing spondylitis

Background: Hip involvement in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a common extraspinal arthritic manifestation, which is associated to a worse functional outcome. Little data are available on the effectiveness of conservative treatment strategies. The TNF inhibitors have been proven effective on AS activity parameters. Their structural effect on hip disease however, little is studied. Case pres...

TNF-alpha antagonists for treatment of juvenile ankylosing spondylitis

Background Juvenile onset sondylarthropathy is a term that refers to a group of human leucocyte antigen (HLA) -B27 associated inflammatory disorders affecting children under the age of 16 years. The increased expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) in synovial tissue of patients with juvenile onset and adults with active ankylosing spondylitis suggests a significant pathogenic rol...

Adalimumab: effective TNF-blockade therapy for ankylosing spondylitis