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Published on: May 23, 2021
Relationship between disease activity and infection in patients with spondyloarthropathies
A Martínez1, C Pacheco-Tena, J Vázquez-Mellado
1Hospital General de México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Dr Balmis 148, México DF 06726.
Objective:
To assess the relationship between disease activity and signs and symptoms of infection in Mexican patients with spondyloarthropathies (SpA).
Methods:
A cross sectional study of 95 non-selected patients with SpA (62 men; mean age 26.4 years), who were examined for signs and symptoms of infection and their association with disease activity. 52 had ankylosing spondylitis (AS), 32 undifferentiated SpA (uSpA), 6 chronic reactive arthritis (ReA), and 5 psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Categorical data were analysed by chi(2) or Fisher's tests.
Results:
53 (56%) patients had infections: 41 (43%) upper respiratory tract (URT), 34 (36%) enteric, and 20 (21%) genitourinary infections. More infections occurred in HLA-B27 positive patients as a whole (39 v 5; p = 0.003) and in uSpA (12 v 2; p = 0.005). In AS and uSpA, infections occurred in approximately 50%. 30/39 (77%) patients with active disease (group A) and 23/56 (41%) (group B) (p = 0.001) had infection. There were more enteric infections in group A (47%; p<0.001) and more URT infections in group B (52%; p = NS). 22/30 (73%) patients attributed disease activity to infection.
Conclusion:
Enteric, and less commonly, URT infections in Mexican patients with SpA, particularly those who were HLA-B27 positive, seem to have a role in the active phase of AS and uSpA.
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