Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), comprising ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and nonradiographic axial SpA, is the main form of chronic inflammatory arthritis affecting the axial skeleton. The availability of new medications approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to treat AS, as well as new evidence on tapering and discontinuing biologics, magnetic resonance imaging and radiograph imaging were the driving forces behind the release of a revised treatment guideline for AS and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis in 2019. In this resource center, you’ll find our summary of the guideline, as well as current research reviews, case reports and clinical articles on advances in the diagnosis and management of axial spondyloarthritis.

With ~100 research abstracts on axSpA accepted for presentation at ACR Convergence 2022, filtering the noise to get to the key thoughts may be challenging. Below, founding editor of The Rheumatologist, David S. Pisetsky, MD, PhD, offers his picks for the top research in axSpA that came out of the annual meeting.

FEATURED ARTICLE: Sacroiliitis on MRI: axSpA or Another Cause?

Highlights from the ACR Review Course 2022

PHILADELPHIA—At ACR Convergence 2022, the much-anticipated ACR Review Course featured talks from eight experts. Topics reflected the heterogeneity of our field and included Sjögren’s disease, spondyloarthritis (SpA), osteoarthritis (OA), paraneoplastic rheumatic syndromes, metabolic bone disease, statin myopathy, Raynaud’s phenomenon and autoinflammatory syndrome. Here, I share highlights from this comprehensive, six-hour session. Sjögren’s Disease Sara S…. [Read More]

From Denial of Spondyloarthritis to a Support Group Leader & Medical Doctor of Rheumatology: A Patient’s Perspective

PHILADELPHIA—“My symptoms started in the final year of medical school, and at that stage I believed I was strong enough to fight my condition,” said Shung Ming Chiu, MD, in a poster presentation at ACR Convergence 2022. “Later, I realized that it’s not [about] fighting [but] rather accepting it and adapting to the new normal…. [Read More]

Treat to Target in AxSpA

PHILADELPHIA—Treat to target (T2T) is a common phrase in rheumatology these days—and a welcome one.1 Many of us are familiar with what T2T means in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but we may be less sure of its meaning in axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). At ACR Convergence 2022, Alexis Ogdie, MD, associate professor of medicine and epidemiology, University of… [Read More]

Top Research in Axial Spondyloarthritis Presented at ACR Convergence 2022

PHILADELPHIA—Approximately 100 research abstracts on axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) were accepted for presentation at ACR Convergence 2022. It is exciting to see a wealth of research on axSpA being undertaken worldwide. Here, we highlight important points from 10 of these studies. 1. Abstract 0378: Prevalence of Axial Spondyloarthritis (axSpA) in Patients Treated for Chronic Back Pain… [Read More]

Ankylosing Spondylitis: Treat to Target

This session at ACR Convergence 2022, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, from 9–10 a.m. EST, will examine guidelines and current evidence regarding the management and outcomes of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Alexis Ogdie, MD, a rheumatologist and associate professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, will present data to highlight the evolution… [Read More]

FDA Approves Upadacitinib for Non-Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis

The FDA has approved upadacitinib for the treatment of non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) based on a short-term study that demonstrated improved pain, function and other symptoms of nr-axSpA in patients with active disease.... [Read More]

Sacroiliitis on MRI: axSpA or Another Cause?

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard imaging modality for the detection of sacroiliitis, a hallmark of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). However, the specificity of MRI for axSpA has been questioned. Renson et al. found that structural MRI-detected SI joint lesions are frequently seen in healthy individuals. ... [Read More]

Data Accumulate to Suggest HLA-B27 Status May Drive Axial Phenotype in SpA

HLA-B27 may be a phenotypic expression of axial spondyloarthritis (SpA), according to a large international study. The study found patients with axial SpA who were positive for HLA-B27 had more severe radiographic damage than those who were negative for HLA-B27, and three quarters of study patients with ankylosis spondyloarthritis were HLA-B27 positive.... [Read More]

Common Misconceptions Clarified: Ankylosing Spondylitis & Non-Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis

At the 17th Annual Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of the Rheumatic Diseases meeting at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Atul Deodhar, MD, discussed ankylosing spondylitis and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis & clarified common misconceptions about these conditions.... [Read More]

Clinical Insights into Axial Spondyloarthritis: Rheumatology Drugs at a Glance, Part 5

Over the past few years, biosimilars and other new drugs have been introduced to treat rheumatic illnesses. Some of the conditions we treat have numerous drug options; others have few or only off-label options. This series, Rheumatology Drugs at a Glance, provides streamlined information on the administration of biologic, biosimilar and other medications used to… [Read More]

Care of Patients with Spondyloarthritis

At the ACR Convergence session CARE: Spondyloarthritis, Alexis Ogdie, MD, presented key principles of diagnosis & management of patients with spondyloarthritis.... [Read More]

The Big Picture: How to Assess Disease Activity in Patients with axSpA & PsA in Clinical Practice

Two experts described the measurements of disease activity used in axial spondyloarthritis and psoriatic arthritis and how rheumatologists can apply them in practice. ... [Read More]

Early & Long-Term Remission of Spondyloarthritis

Filip Van den Bosch, MD, described his strategies for caring for patients with SpA and the possibility of achieving disease inactivity. ... [Read More]

Cytokine Targets & Treatment Developments for Psoriatic Arthritis & Spondyloarthritis

ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—In recent years, a pathophysiological role for the interleukin (IL) 17/IL-23 axis in the development of psoriasis, enthesitis and inflammatory arthritis has been investigated in both rodent and human models. Clinical trials have demonstrated differential benefits for skin disease and joint disease in patients with psoriatic arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and ankylosing spondylitis… [Read More]

MRI & Axial Spondyloarthritis: Experts Discuss Controversies in the Diagnostic Evaluation of axSpA

Three experts discuss the ins and outs of using magnetic resonance imaging to diagnose axial spondyloarthritis, particularly in individuals who lack clear clinical symptoms indicative of disease. ... [Read More]