Fragility Score in Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis Assessed with Radiofrequency Echographic Multi-Spectrometry...

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology and Osteoporosis Research
• Skeletal Health Assessment
• Inflammatory Disease Complications

Background:

• Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory condition impacting the spine and sacroiliac joints.
• Patients with axSpA face elevated fracture risks due to inflammation, reduced mobility, and treatment side effects.
• Standard bone mineral density (BMD) assessments like DXA may be compromised by spinal structural changes in radiographic axSpA (r-axSpA).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate skeletal fragility in patients with r-axSpA using the Radiofrequency Echographic Multi-Spectrometry (REMS)-derived Fragility Score (FS).
• To compare FS and conventional BMD measurements between r-axSpA patients and healthy controls.
• To determine if REMS-derived FS can detect increased fracture risk in r-axSpA independently of BMD.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 90 patients with r-axSpA and sex-matched healthy controls.
• Clinical assessments and REMS evaluation of lumbar spine and hip BMD, T-scores, and spinal FS were performed.
• Comparison of FS and BMD metrics between the r-axSpA group and the control group.

Main Results:

• Patients with r-axSpA exhibited higher rates of smoking, prior fractures, and inflammatory markers compared to controls.
• No significant differences in BMD or T-scores were found between r-axSpA patients and controls.
• The FS was significantly higher in the r-axSpA group, indicating a greater fracture risk category.

Conclusions:

• REMS-derived FS may offer a valuable tool for assessing skeletal fragility in r-axSpA.
• FS identifies increased fracture risk in r-axSpA patients where conventional BMD measurements might be insufficient.
• Further research is warranted to explore the clinical utility of FS in managing axSpA patients.