Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0003090 (arthrodesis)
 8,374 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

One hundred and twenty-two hospitalized patients, 35 years or more of age with confirmed bilateral sacro-iliitis and 239 first-degree relatives, 25 years or more of age, were examined. All but 3 of the patients had confirmed ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in accordance with established criteria. The sacro-iliac joints were scored by a recently developed grading system. The prevalence of grade V sacro-iliits--extensive ankylosis--was greater in HLA B27-positive than in HLA B27-negative patients, and ankylosis of apophyseal joints, ossification of the interspinous ligament, or block vertebrae were not seen in HLA B27-negative patients. Shining corners and/or squared vertebrae were the most frequent findings of the dorsolumbar spine in patients with a disease course of less than 10 years. Mixed osteophytes were rare in patients below 40 years of age. All radiographic inflammatory changes scored in the spine-except for shining corners--were most often seen in patients with a disease history exceeding 20 years. Syndesmophytes and/or ankylosed apophyseal joints were less extensive in female than in male patients. No differences in the severity of radiographic changes in sacro-iliac joints or in frequency, severity or localization of different radiographic changes of the dorsolumbar spine were observed between HLA B27-positive patients with and those without psoriasis or acute anterior uveitis. Definite sacro-iliitis was restricted to HLA B27-positive relatives of HLA B27-positive probands and demonstrated in one-fifth of them. Shining corners and/or squared vertebrae were frequent findings in relatives with sacro-iliitis (45%), whereas apophyseal joint ankylosis, ossification of the interspinous ligament, block vertebrae and bridging syndesmophytes were not seen. Our results support the view that AS is not a defined disease entity and should be regarded as a syndrome. AS is an improper name for all patients fulfilling the Rome and/or New York criteria for definite AS, since many of them will probably never develop ankylosis of the spine or sacro-iliac joints.
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PMID:Radiographic evaluation of patients with Bechterew's syndrome (ankylosing spondylitis) and their first-degree relatives. Findings in the spine and sacro-iliac joints and relations to non-radiographic findings. 387 98

Six cases of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) complicated with acute anterior uveitis (AAU) were reviewed. Clinical and radiologic findings of these cases were correlated with HLA-B27. All the patients were men; four of them were HLA-B27 positive, and two were B27 negative. The average age of onset was younger in B27+ patients than in B27- patients. Ophthalmologic study showed no definite difference in inflammatory change of AAU between B27+ patients and B27- patients. AAU in B27+ patients was completely cured in three months. A history of low back pain was more apparent in B27+ than in B27- patients. Three out of four B27+ patients showed complete bony ankylosis in sacroiliac joints, whereas no ankylosis was seen in B27- patients. CT scan was useful to demonstrate sacroilitis in cases with equivocal radiologic findings. Spondylitic changes were more extensive in B27+ than in B27- patients. The results support the concept that HLA-B27+ AS and B27- AS are different entities with similar phenotypic expression, and HLA-B27 is an arthritogenic gene in the Japanese population as well.
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PMID:[Ankylosing spondylitis with acute anterior uveitis--correlation between HLA-B27 and clinical and radiologic findings]. 849 71

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is the most common form of spondyloarthropathy. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications and exercise are used to manage the chronic inflammatory spinal pain and stiffness. Up to 20% of patients have a peripheral inflammatory arthritis, which is treated with standard disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs especially sulfasalazine and methotrexate. Patients may also have extra-articular manifestations, such as anterior uveitis, psoriasiform skin lesions and inflammatory bowel disease. Anti-tumour necrosis (TNF) therapy has been used with great success in rheumatoid arthritis. There are now good data of the efficacy of anti-TNF therapies in the short and medium terms in AS. Etanercept, infliximab and adalimumab have been shown in randomized placebo-controlled trials of short duration to significantly reduce disease activity, including pain and stiffness as well as improving function, spinal movement and quality of life. It is hoped that long-term therapy will prevent radiologic progression and ankylosis and studies of long-term efficacy are awaited. Anti-TNF therapies are generally well tolerated in AS. It is important to screen for latent tuberculosis before the commencement of anti-TNF therapy. The side-effect profile of anti-TNF therapies in AS does not appear different from that in rheumatoid arthritis. Currently, treatment with anti-TNF therapy in AS is indicated in established disease with radiographic damage. There is evidence that response to therapy is greater in patients with earlier disease and less damage. Future developments may see this therapy extended to patients with pre-radiographic AS.
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PMID:Tumour necrosis factor inhibitors in ankylosing spondylitis. 1842 65

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) remain the mainstay of treatment for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) though one recent trial suggests that continuous as opposed to on-demand use may be superior in preventing progression of structural damage. One particular NSAID, which is a highly selective cyclo-oxygenase 2 inhibitor, etoricoxib, may be superior to standard NSAIDs for AS. Second-line agents typically used for rheumatoid arthritis appear to lack efficacy. Salazopyrin is only moderately effective in the subgroup of AS patients with concomitant peripheral arthritis and not in those with purely axial disease. A recent trial showed that there is no greater efficacy in patients presenting early in their disease course. Three anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha agents, infliximab, etanercept, and adalimumab, are now available for the treatment of AS, the latest being adalimumab. All possess similar clinical efficacy in phase III trials with response rates of about 60%. Imaging studies using magnetic resonance show substantial amelioration of inflammatory lesions in the spine and sacroiliac joints. There is as yet no evidence that any of these agents prevent progression of structural damage. One study that evaluated etanercept demonstrated no impact on damage progression. Increasing evidence points to the superiority of the two monoclonal antibodies, infliximab and adalimumab, over etanercept for the treatment of extra-articular manifestations typically seen in AS such as acute anterior uveitis and inflammatory bowel disease. All three agents can be used as monotherapy and concomitant methotrexate appears to offer no advantages although insufficient doses have been used to date. Future studies should target patients earlier in their disease course as well as those with adverse prognostic factors such as elevated serum metalloproteinase 3 levels and radiographic evidence of spinal ankylosis.
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PMID:Update on the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis. 1851 14

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is the major subtype and a major outcome of an interrelated group of rheumatic diseases now named as spondyloarthritides (SpA). The most important clinical features of this group are inflammatory back pain (IBP), asymmetric peripheral oligoarthritis, predominantly of the lower limbs, enthesitis and specific organ involvement such as anterior uveitis, psoriasis and chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Aortic root involvement and conduction abnormalities are rare complications ofAS. For clinical purposes, five subgroups are differentiated: AS, psoriatic SpA (PsSpA), reactive SpA (ReSpA), SpA associated with inflammatory bowel disease (SpAIBD) and undifferentiated SpA (uSpA). The SpA are genetically linked, the strongest known contributing factor is the MHC class I molecule HLA B27, ARTS-7, and IL-23R, others still remain to be identified. Most frequently and characteristically, AS starts in the sacroiliac joints at a mean age of26 years affecting men only slightly more frequent than women. In about 80% of the patients the disease spreads to the spine where all three segments are affected, most frequently the thoracic spine. Osteodestructive structural changes such as erosions occur less frequently than osteoproliferative changes which are pathognomonic for AS being clinically impressive by their appearance as syndesmophytes and ankylosis. Established classification criteria for AS and SpA perform less well in early disease stages. This partly contributes to the delay of diagnosis which is in the range of 5-10 years-mainly due the high frequency of back pain in the population. Major factors to improve the rate of AS patients diagnosed early are HLA B27 and imaging of the sacroiliac joints. International recommendations for the management ofAS have been published. The conventional treatment is mainly based on NSAIDs, patients with peripheral arthritis may be treated with sulfasalazine and patients with persistently active disease benefit from therapy with anti-TNF agents. Physiotherapy is of major importance in the general approach to patients with AS.
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PMID:Therapy of spondyloarthritides. 1973 26