Background/Purpose: Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a progressive inflammatory arthropathy causing structural joint damage and functional impairment. While biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic…

Background/Purpose: Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is associated with an average diagnostic delay of 5 to 10 years [1], which has been linked to poorer functional outcomes, radiographic disease progr...

“Ankylosing spondylitis”? “Sjögren’s syndrome”? These terms may soon take on an antiquated feel not unlike “shell shock” or “consumption,” as both...

Welcome to the club no one wants to be in: r/ankylosingspondylitis! A place for patients of Ankylosing Spondylitis and other Axial Spondyloarthritis or nr-axSpA conditions. This is a highly moderated ...

Background/Purpose: Obesity is highly prevalent in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and contributes to disease burden, systemic inflammation, and cardiometabolic risk. GLP1 receptor agonists (GLP1 RA) have d...

This narrative review summarizes current evidence on the pathophysiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of uveitis in adults.

For patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), remission is attainable with usual care, according to a study published in the Journal of Rheumatology.

Background: Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease affecting the axial skeleton that requires regular physical exercise in addition to pharmacotherapy. However, a significant proportion of patients do not exercise frequently enough. Axia is a digital therapeutic (DTx) that offers a solution by providing a disease-specific and patient-tailored home-based exercise program for patients with axSpA. The app combines structured exercise with patient education and disease management features and incorporates gamification and behavioral conditioning to promote user engagement. However, it has remained unclear how Axia is perceived and evaluated by patients. Objective: This study aimed to describe app quality, user experience, and willingness to recommend the app to others after 12 weeks of use by applying standardized questionnaires. Methods: This single-center study was conducted at an outpatient tertiary clinic. After 12 weeks of ad libitum app use, 27 participants with axSpA completed paper-based assessments of the user version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (uMARS; range 1-5) and the net promoter score (NPS; range −100% to +100%). Results: The mean overall uMARS app quality score was 4.44 (SD 0.43). Functionality received the highest mean score (4.54, SD 0.53), whereas information received the lowest (4.34, SD 0.49). The mean NPS was 9.52 (SD 0.75), corresponding to an overall NPS of 93%. The uMARS overall quality score correlated strongly with the NPS (ρ=0.57; P=.002). Except for physical therapy at baseline, no other baseline characteristic or therapeutic effect correlated with either the uMARS or NPS. Conclusions: Axia was perceived as a user-friendly DTx after 12 weeks of use. The findings support the acceptability of disease-specific DTx for patients with axSpA and the potential integration of DTx into routine care.

I never expected to lose my mobility, but that is what happened in July of 2014 when my body gave out on me and I could no longer move the way I used to. Year by year, I lost my energy to move and soo...

Listen Now: Watch Now: Summary: In episode 150 of The Arthritis Life Podcast, Carrie shares her inspiring journey of living with “difficult-to-treat” axial spondyloarthritis while building a new life…

In this week's episode of Oh, I Didn't Know That, Amber talks with Carrie Kellenberger about h...

Bei axSpA stehen stärkere Verbindungen zwischen Insula und Ruhezustandsnetzwerk mit Schmerz, Krankheitsaktivität und Depression in Zusammenhang.

Early axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), with a duration of no more than two years of axial symptoms, is associated with lower long-term spinal structural damage, according to a study published online Sept. 18 in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

To investigate granulocytic suppressor cells in inflammatory joint diseases, we collected and analysed blood samples from patients with axSpA (n = 35), PsA (n = 29), RA (n = 27) as well as healthy controls without arthritis (HC, n = 29, Figs. 1A and S1A, Table 1). Total granulocyte counts were found to be elevated across all three forms of arthritis when compared to healthy controls (Fig. 1B), consistent with prior studies11,12. We next examined suppressive myeloid subsets, including eosinophils, granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (G-MDSCs), as well as monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (M-MDSCs). While eosinophils were significantly enriched in RA patients alone (Fig. S1B), G-MDSCs and M-MDSCs were elevated in patients with RA, PsA and axSpA compared to healthy donors (Figs. 1C and S1C). Moreover, in axSpA patients, circulating G-MDSCs, but not M-MDSCs, exhibited a positive correlation with disease activity (Figs. 1D and S1D). This unexpected, paradoxical signal of increased G-MDSCs among patients with active axSpA prompted us to further investigate the role of G-MDSCs at the site of inflammation. We conducted an analysis of G-MDSCs in axial joint biopsies from axSpA patients. We obtained CT-guided biopsies from the sacroiliac joints (SIJ) and biopsies from facet joints during spine surgeries...

Listen Now: Watch Now: Summary: In episode 150 of The Arthritis Life Podcast, Carrie shares her inspiring journey of living with “difficult-to-treat” axial spondyloarthritis while building a new life…