[Diagnosis of spondyloarthritis: when to think about it?]

Diagnosis of spondyloarthritis: when to think about it? Spondyloarthritis represents the second most frequent chronic inflammatory rheumatism, along with rheumatoid arthritis. It characteristically affects joints with axial distribution predominance. The paucity of physical examination and imaging findings during the first years of evolution frequently exposes to deleterious misdiagnosis. In order to improve its recognition and to optimize its care, it is necessary to seek for characteristic past or present clinical manifestations, the combination of which will contribute to establish the diagnostic conviction. In some instances, therapeutic test(s) using anti-inflammatory drug(s) or even biotherapies could be required to reinforce it, even if all complementary examinations are negative.