Radiographic Progression in Ankylosing Spondylitis

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the spine and sacroiliac joints (SIJs) with an unknown etiology. The spectrum of axSpA is thought to start from a pre-radiographic stage and may progress to radiographic sacroiliitis over time. Some axSpA patients may develop structural damage because of new bone formation in the spine which are known as syndesmophytes. These structures may limit spinal mobility and can contribute to the functional impairment, which is a well-known complication of axSpA. In this thesis, through three manuscripts, we studied different aspects of radiographic progression in axSpA. The first study focused on the characteristics of axSpA patients who had non-diagnostic SIJs at baseline and progressed to radiographic axSpA. The second study aimed to address progression rates and factors predictive of spinal progression in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). In the third study we investigated the effect of spinal structural damage on spinal mobility in AS.M.Sc