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Du-Moxibustion in a Mouse Model of Ankylosing Spondylitis
Published on: October 27, 2023
Are current available therapies disease-modifying in spondyloarthritis?
Rik J U Lories1, Kurt de Vlam, Frank P Luyten
1Laboratory for Skeletal Development and Joint Disorders, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Musculoskeletal Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. Rik.Lories@uz.kuleuven.be
Abstract:
Disease modification in spondyloarthritis should target the improvement of symptoms and preservation of function. Therefore, inhibition of structural damage caused by the disease processes appears essential. In spondyloarthritis, structural damage results mainly in progressive ankylosis of the spine and peripheral joint destruction. Currently available therapies for the treatment of spondyloarthritis appear effective at inhibiting tissue destruction but, with the exception of celecoxib, do not appear to affect new tissue formation leading to ankylosis. In this article, we discuss clinical and pathophysiological concepts of disease modification in spondyloarthritis, challenges in its evaluation, recent clinical data and new concepts that may help explain structural damage as well as the onset and progression of disease.
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