Early recognition of axial spondyloarthritis: imaging and genetic aspects

The studies described in this thesis were all centred around the same aim: the early recognitionof axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and a minimization of the diagnostic delay. An importantstep in tackling these issues was that experts in the field have designed prospective cohortstudies in which consecutive patients with either chronic or inflammatory back pain (thelatter being the most common first symptom) of short duration are included and followed upin a standardized manner with imaging performed at certain pre-set times. This allows us toobtain information on who will develop axSpA and who will not. Those cohort studies providevaluable information on the early detection and disease course of axSpA and form the basisof the research presented in this thesis.