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Pathologic alterations of the heart and the kidney in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

U Lange1, G Stapfer, T Ditting

  • 1Kerckhoff Clinic and Foundation - Department of Rheumatology, University of Giessen, Bad Nauheim, Germany. u.lange@kerckhoff-klinik.de

European Journal of Medical Research
|November 21, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Cardiac abnormalities are common in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients, but kidney disease is rare and likely unrelated to AS. This study investigated cardiac and renal issues in AS patients.

Area of Science:

  • Rheumatology
  • Cardiology
  • Nephrology

Background:

  • Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is associated with various heart and kidney lesions, but their frequency and specificity remain debated.
  • Previous studies have controversially discussed the prevalence of these cardiac and renal alterations in AS patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the frequency of cardiac and renal alterations in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) outpatients.
  • To assess the clinical and demographic factors associated with these potential comorbidities in AS.

Main Methods:

  • Studied outpatients diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
  • Evaluated cardiac and renal function through echocardiography, electrocardiography, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) measurements.
  • Collected clinical and demographic data, including comorbidities like hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

Main Results:

  • 77 AS patients (84.4% male, mean age 48.3 years) were included. Hypertension (36.4%) and diabetes (13.0%) were noted.
  • Cardiac abnormalities were found in 37.3% of patients, including valvular insufficiency and conduction blocks. Older age and longer disease duration correlated with cardiac issues.
  • Impaired renal function suggestive of chronic kidney disease was rare, present in only 3.9% of patients.

Conclusions:

  • Cardiac abnormalities are frequent in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients, particularly in older individuals with longer disease duration.
  • Renal disease appears uncommon in AS patients and is often attributable to non-AS related conditions.
  • Chronic kidney disease may not be a significant extraskeletal manifestation of AS, or AS has a limited impact on renal integrity.
Abstract

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