These are the most exciting times to be a rheumatologist! The therapeutics of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have changed dramatically in the last decade with the arrival of novel biologic-based medicines….
Through recent technological advances, ultrasound allows high-resolution visualisation of inflammatory and destructive changes in tendon and joint structures. Over the last few years, the added value of the use of…
The principal clinical and radiological feature of all axial spondyloarthritis is an involvement of the axial skeleton (sacroiliac joints and spine) and, to a lesser extent, the hip joints. Immunohistochemical…
The spondyloarthritides (SpAs) are a group of diseases that share clinical, radiographic and laboratory features; these arthritides also display a tendency for family aggregation. Given the intimate relationship that these…
The tumour necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists have significantly improved quality of life and functional status in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA). The excitement regarding the remarkable success of these agents is…
The study of biomarkers has become a very important field of research in spondyloarthropathy. Biomarkers are useful for different aspects of the disease such as diagnosis, assessment of disease activity…
Outcome measurement is a key part of study design but presents particular challenges in spondyloarthropathy. Enthesitis and dactylitis are typical features of spondyloarthropathy and validated scoring systems for both are…
Sensitive and reliable tools for monitoring disease activity and damage, and for prognostication, are essential in the management of patients with spondyloarthritis, including ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. Magnetic resonance…
Disease modification in spondyloarthritis should target the improvement of symptoms and preservation of function. Therefore, inhibition of structural damage caused by the disease processes appears essential. In spondyloarthritis, structural damage…
While several instruments and measures are available to assess function and mobility, there was no exhaustive list of impairments, limitations and restrictions that are the consequence of ankylosing spondylitis (AS)….
