Functional limitation and associated factors in outpatients with ankylosing spondylitis in Southwest China

Functional limitation is often complained by patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). With a rising number of patients suffering from AS, there are a limited number of reports focusing on functional limitation of AS in Chinese patients. This study was conducted to investigate the level of functional limitation and explore its associations with demographic, disease-related factors. A total of 303 AS outpatients were recruited in this cross-sectional study from a tertiary general hospital in Southwest China. Functional limitation was measured by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI). Other data were collected by the following questionnaires: the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Patient Global Score (BAS-G), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Questionnaire (PSQI). Finally, 295 outpatients with AS completed this survey. The median BASFI was 0.80. Worse function limitation was found in outpatients with extra-spinal manifestation, older age, lower household income, more back pain, higher disease activity and morning stiffness, poorer sleep, and worse patient's well-being (all P < 0.05). Multivariate regression analysis indicated that patient's well-being (P < 0.001), disease activity (P < 0.001), and disease duration (P < 0.05) were the positive predictors of functional limitation. AS outpatients in Southwest China had a mild level of functional limitation. The factors associated with functional limitation included disease duration, disease activity, and patients' well-being, which should be taken into consideration when assessing functional limitation of AS outpatients. Besides, more comprehensive and targeted interventions should be conducted for AS patients as early as possible, which will be effective to improve functional outcome.