[The heart and ankylosing spondylitis]

We studied 40 consecutive patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis from the cardiological point of view through non-invasive methods. Fourteen (35%) patients had some kind of cardiovascular complication as shown by any of the used methods. a)

fifteen (37.5%) refered nonspecific chest pain, five (12.5%) dyspnea on exertion and four (10%) frecuent palpitations. b)

two patients (5%) had aortic regurgitation and two (5%) mitral valve disease. c) Electrocardiogram: in seven (17.5%), left ventricular hypertrophy was detected, in two (5%) left atrial hypertrophy and in seven (17.5%) some type of conduction disturbance. d) Chest X Ray: six (15%) had left ventricular hypertrophy, one (2.5%) left atrial hypertrophy and two (5%) dilated ascending aorta. e) Echocardiogram: two cases (5%) had aortic dilatation and other two (5%), mitral valve disease. In three patients (7.5%) pericardial effusion was found, which in our series, it is more frecuent than has been reported up until now in the literature.