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Epidemiological aspects of ankylosing spondylitis in Sweden. Characterization, prevalence and prognosis

Exarchou, Sofia LU (2015) In Lund University Faculty of Medicine Doctoral Dissertation Series 2015:62.
Abstract
Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a chronic, potentially disabling, inflammatory disease that poses a longstanding burden on the patient and the society. The epidemiology of AS in Sweden has not been extensively studied previously.

Radiographic and self-perceived health information from 1,005 men aged 69-81 years, showed a prevalence of moderate to severe radiographic sacroiliitis of 1.4% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.7-2.4), with modest impact on health. Medical records of a representative sample of 500 patients with a registered visit to a physician with a diagnosis of AS or undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (uSpA) in the National Patient Register (NPR) (2007-2009) were reviewed. These diagnoses had high validity, as 70% of... (More)
Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a chronic, potentially disabling, inflammatory disease that poses a longstanding burden on the patient and the society. The epidemiology of AS in Sweden has not been extensively studied previously.

Radiographic and self-perceived health information from 1,005 men aged 69-81 years, showed a prevalence of moderate to severe radiographic sacroiliitis of 1.4% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.7-2.4), with modest impact on health. Medical records of a representative sample of 500 patients with a registered visit to a physician with a diagnosis of AS or undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (uSpA) in the National Patient Register (NPR) (2007-2009) were reviewed. These diagnoses had high validity, as 70% of patients with an AS diagnosis fulfilled the modified New York (mNY) criteria for AS and 79% of patients with a diagnosis of uSpA fulfilled any set of the SpA criteria. Based on clinically diagnosed patients with AS in the NPR, identification of referents from the general population and linkage of these two groups to other national registers, the prevalence and mortality of AS were studied. The prevalence of clinically diagnosed AS was 0.18% in 2009, with higher estimates in men, in northern Sweden, and in those with lower level of education. Men more often had anterior uveitis and treatment with TNF-inhibitors compared to women, and women had more often peripheral arthritis, psoriasis and treatment with oral glucocorticosteroids. The all-cause mortality was increased in patients with AS compared to the general population, overall (age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.60 (95% CI: 1.44-1.77)) and separately for males and females. Predictors of death within the AS cohort included a lower level of formal education, general co-morbidities and joint surgery. (Less)
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author
supervisor
opponent
  • Professor Haugeberg, Glenn, Head of Department of Rheumatology, Martina Hansens Hospital, Bærum Professor at faculty of medicine at NTNU, Trondheim
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
in
Lund University Faculty of Medicine Doctoral Dissertation Series
volume
2015:62
pages
122 pages
publisher
Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University
defense location
Aula, Clinical Research Center, Jan Waldenströms gata 35, Skånes universitetssjukhus, Malmö
defense date
2015-05-28 09:00:00
ISSN
1652-8220
ISBN
978-91-7619-141-5
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
33503839-1fc0-4461-a07b-77af6acabd8d (old id 5367859)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:23:54
date last changed
2019-05-22 05:37:15
@phdthesis{33503839-1fc0-4461-a07b-77af6acabd8d,
  abstract     = {{Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a chronic, potentially disabling, inflammatory disease that poses a longstanding burden on the patient and the society. The epidemiology of AS in Sweden has not been extensively studied previously.<br/><br>
Radiographic and self-perceived health information from 1,005 men aged 69-81 years, showed a prevalence of moderate to severe radiographic sacroiliitis of 1.4% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.7-2.4), with modest impact on health. Medical records of a representative sample of 500 patients with a registered visit to a physician with a diagnosis of AS or undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (uSpA) in the National Patient Register (NPR) (2007-2009) were reviewed. These diagnoses had high validity, as 70% of patients with an AS diagnosis fulfilled the modified New York (mNY) criteria for AS and 79% of patients with a diagnosis of uSpA fulfilled any set of the SpA criteria. Based on clinically diagnosed patients with AS in the NPR, identification of referents from the general population and linkage of these two groups to other national registers, the prevalence and mortality of AS were studied. The prevalence of clinically diagnosed AS was 0.18% in 2009, with higher estimates in men, in northern Sweden, and in those with lower level of education. Men more often had anterior uveitis and treatment with TNF-inhibitors compared to women, and women had more often peripheral arthritis, psoriasis and treatment with oral glucocorticosteroids. The all-cause mortality was increased in patients with AS compared to the general population, overall (age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.60 (95% CI: 1.44-1.77)) and separately for males and females. Predictors of death within the AS cohort included a lower level of formal education, general co-morbidities and joint surgery.}},
  author       = {{Exarchou, Sofia}},
  isbn         = {{978-91-7619-141-5}},
  issn         = {{1652-8220}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  series       = {{Lund University Faculty of Medicine Doctoral Dissertation Series}},
  title        = {{Epidemiological aspects of ankylosing spondylitis in Sweden. Characterization, prevalence and prognosis}},
  volume       = {{2015:62}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}