Peripheral subclinical vasculitis in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and its possible relation to disease activity / Marwah Magdy Taha ; Supervised Eman Mahmoud Elserougy , Sahar Nasif , Nahla Naeem

Thesis (M.Sc) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation

Background: Over the last years the importance of vascular disease in terms of endothelial dysfunction and vasculitis in patients with systemic rheumatic diseases has been extensively investigated and recognized. Much less is known about the vascular damage associated with ankylosing spondylitis; however, the available evidence suggests that these diseases confer increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortalityObjective: The aim of our study was to detect peripheral subclinical vasulitits in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and its possible relation to disease activity Patients &methods:Thirty patients with ankylosing spondylitis diagnosed according to ASAS criteria for axial spondyloarthritis and 20 healthy controls were recruited from Cairo university teaching hospital and they went through detailed clinical evaluation, laboratory investigations and radiographic evaluation .US Doppler was performed to all patients and controls on arteries of both upper limbs and lower limbs bilaterally and both carotid arteries. Patients with long standing diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia or hyperuricemia were excluded from the study

Issued also as CD