• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.246-253
• /
• 2015

Background & Object: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes ankylosis and deformation of axial joints. Since current medicine cannot cure the disease yet, alleviating pain and preventing deformation with medications are the main therapy for patients with AS. The key medications for these purposes include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($TNF-{\alpha}$) inhibitors. This study aims to analyze prescribing patterns of AS patients in South Korea. Method: National Patients Sample data compiled by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service from 2013 was analyzed. Patients with AS were identified with Korean Standard Classification of Diseases code-6, which was M45. The rates of prescription, discontinuation, and switching ingredients were calculated for each medication during 2013. Results: Total number of patients was 655, and most of them were male (n = 514, 78.5%). Of all age groups, the proportion of 30-40 year old patients was the greatest (35.1%). The most utilized drug class was NSAIDs (82.4%). Less than half of patients were prescribed $TNF-{\alpha}$ inhibitors (n = 212, 32.4%). Meloxicam, aceclofenac, and celecoxib were the most frequently prescribed NSAIDs. In case of $TNF-{\alpha}$ inhibitors, adalimumab, etanercept and infliximab were the top three most prescribed drugs. Although not recommended by the current practice guideline, significant proportions of patients were identified using disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Conclusion: Considering the current practice guideline and previous studies about the efficacy, the use of DMARDs should be reduced and medical insurance term in South Korea should be re-examined.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.95-102
• /
• 1986

Among the skeletal tuberculosis, tuberculous spondylitis is high incidence and curable disease, if early diagnosis and treatment are possible. We reviewed clinical manifestations and radiologic analysis of 30 cases tuberculous spondylitis from May 1983 to Sept. 1986, at Yeungnam medical center, Yeungnam University. The results were follows : 1. The frequent involve sites were thoracolumbar vertebra. 2. The continuous lesion is 86.7% of the all cases. 3. The most common type was intervertebral type, and lytic and sclerotic lesion were same incidence. 4. Paravertebral abscess, kyphosis and disc space narrowing were demonstrated more than 80.0% of the cases. 5. Computed tomography was more accurate diagnostic method rather than conventional plain study to evaluation of extent of lesion, involvement of spinal canal and cord, and size and location of paravertebral abscess. And CT guided abscess drainage procedure was helpful to diagnosis and treatment. 6. Ultrasonography was helpful to differential diagnosis between paravertebral abscess and other solid mass, and useful to follow up study of paravertebral abscess after treatment.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.59 no.10
• /
• pp.421-424
• /
• 2016

Recurrent macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is very rare. We present the case of an adolescent boy with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) B27-positive ankylosing spondylitis (AS), who experienced episodes of recurrent MAS since he was a toddler. A 16-year-old boy was admitted because of remittent fever with pancytopenia and splenomegaly after surgical intervention for an intractable perianal abscess. He had been diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) 4 different times, which was well controlled with intravenous immunoglobulin and steroids since the age of 3. We were unable to identify the cause for the HLH. He remained symptom-free until the development of back pain and right ankle joint pain with swelling at 15 years of age. He was diagnosed with HLA B27-positive AS with bilateral active sacroiliitis. He showed symptom aggravation despite taking naproxen and methotrexate, and the symptoms improved with etanercept. On admission, his laboratory data showed leukopenia with high ferritin and triglyceride levels. Bone marrow biopsy examination showed histiocytic hyperplasia with hemophagocytosis. There was no evidence of infection. He received naproxen alone, and his symptoms and laboratory data improved without any other immunomodulatory medications. Genetic study revealed no primary HLH or inflammasome abnormalities. In this case, underlying autoimmune disease should have been considered as the cause of recurrent MAS in the young patient once primary HLH was excluded.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.7-15
• /
• 2005

Purpose: The purpose of this study was performed to understanding of family support, pain and self-esteem, activities of daily living(ADL) in patient with ankylosing spondylitis(AS) and to identify the relationship among variables. Method: This study was conducted on 55 adults diagnosed with AS in C hospital in Daejeon during January 15th to June 20th, 2004. Instruments in this study were pain scale (VAS), family support scale, self-esteem scale, ADL scale. The data were analyzed mean, standard deviation, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's Correlation Coefficient using SPSS WIN(ver 10.0) program. Results: 1) 83.6% of the subjects was men, 30.9% of the subjects' age was below 29. And the 90.9% of the subjects was no experience of education about AS, 41.8% of the subjects was doing exercise. 2) The pain score was 48.36, family support score was 3.98, self-esteem score was 3.52 and ADL score was 81.41. 3) Family support was positively correlated with self-esteem and ADL and negatively correlated with pain. self-esteem was negatively correlated with pain and ADL. Conclusion: The results in this study can help nurse who care patients with AS understanding the relationships among family support, self-esteem, ADL, pain. And this findings showed that the patients with AS have few experience for disease-related education to manage and to understand AS. Therefore disease-related educational nursing program based on family support, pain, ADL of AS is needed to understand and manage AS. Because family support, pain, ADL of AS were significant correlated.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.79-88
• /
• 2020

Objectives This study was performed to research the trends of Chinese acupuncture treatment for ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods We searched clinical studies about Chinese acupuncture treatment for AS through China National Knowledge Infrastructure. We analyzed the characteristics of selected studies according to research design, sample size, publication year, treatment methods, evaluation criteria and adverse events. Results 16 studies published from 2015 to 2020 were selected. They consisted of 11 randomized controlled trials and 5 case reports. In these studies, several types of acupuncture treatments were performed and especially there were many treatments that applied thermal stimulation of needles. The most commonly used evaluation criteria was effective rate. Conclusions This study showed that acupuncture treatment could be effective for AS. It suggested that various studies should be conducted to provide reliable evidence about acupuncture treatment for AS in Korea.

• Asian Spine Journal
• /
• v.12 no.6
• /
• pp.1017-1027
• /
• 2018

Study Design: This retrospective study was conducted including 18 patients who underwent posterior-only stabilization and fusion procedure for pseudoarthrosis in the ankylosed spine from October 2007 to May 2015. Purpose: This study aimed to describe the treatment outcomes in 18 patients with Andersson lesion (AL) who were managed using the posterior-only approach. Literature Review: AL is an unstable, localized, vertebral, or discovertebral lesion of the spine. It is observed in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. The exact etiology of this disorder remains unclear, and the treatment guidelines are not clearly described. Methods: We analyzed 18 patients with AL who were treated with posterior long segment spinal fusion without any anterior interbody grafting or posterior osteotomy. Pre- and postoperative radiography, computed tomography, and recent follow-up images were examined. The pre- and postoperative Visual Analog Scale score and the Oswestry Disability Index score were evaluated for all patients. Whiteclouds' outcome analysis criteria were applied at the follow-up. Moreover, at study completion, patient feedback was collected; all the patients were asked to provide their opinion regarding the surgery and were asked whether they would recommend this procedure to other patients and them self undergo the same procedure again if required. Results: The most common site was the thoracolumbar junction. The symptom duration ranged from 1 month to 10 years preoperatively. Most patients experienced fusion by the end of 1 year, and the fusion mass could be observed as early as 4 months. Pseudoarthrosis void of up to 2.5 cm was noted to be healed in subsequent imaging. In addition, clinically, the patients reported good symptomatic relief. No patient required revision surgery. Whiteclouds' outcome analysis score at the latest follow-up revealed goodto-excellent outcomes in all patients. Conclusions: ALs can be treated using the posterior-only approach with long segment fixation and posterior spinal fusion. This is a safe, simple, and quick procedure that prevents the morbidity of anterior surgery.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.62 no.2
• /
• pp.217-224
• /
• 2019

Objective : We attempted to discover that Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has a comprehensive relationship with congestive heart failure and death. Methods : We used a nationwide database managed by the Korean National Health Insurance Service from 2010 to 2014. Twelve thousand nine hundred eighty-eight patients with a diagnosis of AS and 64940 age- and sex- stratified matching subjects without AS were enrolled in the AS and control groups. Incidence probabilities of 6 years congestive heart failure and death in each group were calculated. The Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to estimate the hazard ratio. We divided the AS and control groups into subgroups according to sex, age, income, and comorbidities. Results : During the follow-up period, 102 patients (0.79%) in the AS group and 201 patients (0.32%) in the control group developed congestive heart failure (p<0.0001). In addition, 211 (1.62%) subjects in the AS group died during the follow-up period compared to 639 (0.98%) subjects in the control group (p<0.0001). The adjusted hazard ratio of congestive heart failure and death in the AS group was 2.28 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.80-2.89) and 1.66 (95% CI, 1.42-1.95), respectively. The hazard ratios of congestive heart failure and death were significantly increased in all of the subgroups. Conclusion : The incidence rates of congestive heart failure and death were increased in AS patients.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.141-154
• /
• 2019

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the effects of exercise on pulmonary function in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and CINAHL (through Jan 2019). Three reviewers independently retrieved articles, extracted data, and assessed methodological quality using the Cochrane's Risk of Bias for randomized studies. Results: Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria with a total of 729 participants. CE (SMD 0.58, 95% CI 0.41~0.75, p<.001) and $VO_2peak$ (SMD 0.56, 95% CI 0.24~0.88, p=.001) had a significant effect on the most exercise interventions. As a secondary variable, BASFI (SMD -0.53, 95% CI -0.70~-0.37, p<.001), BASMI (SMD -0.75, 95% CI -0.92~-0.58, p<.001) showed an effect size of more than medium. However, PFT and QoL did not produce a significant results. Conclusion: Pulmonary involvement is common in patients with AS and might have disturbed functionality and exercise modality. Exercise can be an effective intervention to improve pulmonary function in patients with AS. More attention is needed to improve the chest and spinal mobility to maintain the appropriate pulmonary function. It is also necessary to consider how to construct a patient-tailored exercise program to increase performance, accuracy and safety of exercise.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.45 no.6
• /
• pp.365-375
• /
• 2022

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) may be important regulators in the progression of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) activity of lncRNAs plays crucial roles in osteogenesis. We identified the mechanism of the differentially expressed lncRNA MALAT1 in AS using bioinformatic analysis and its ceRNA mechanism. The interaction of MALAT1, microRNA-558, and GSDMD was identified using integrated bioinformatics analysis and validated. Loss- and gain-of-function assays evaluated their effects on the viability, apoptosis, pyroptosis and inflammation of chondrocytes in AS. We found elevated MALAT1 and GSDMD but reduced miR-558 in AS cartilage tissues and chondrocytes. MALAT1 contributed to the suppression of cell viability and facilitated apoptosis and pyroptosis in AS chondrocytes. GSDMD was a potential target gene of miR-558. Depletion of MALAT1 expression elevated miR-558 by inhibiting GSDMD to enhance cell viability and inhibit inflammation, apoptosis and pyroptosis of chondrocytes in AS. In summary, our key findings demonstrated that knockdown of MALAT1 served as a potential suppressor of AS by upregulating miR-558 via the downregulation of GSDMD expression.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
• /
• v.56 no.4
• /
• pp.294-304
• /
• 2021

Ankylosing spondylitis causes ankylosis of the spine due to ossification of the articular cartilage and ligaments around the vertebral body as well as the sacroiliac joint. This pathophysiology limits joint movement and, in many cases, causes pain and deformity of the spine. If this disease is left untreated, it ultimately causes ankylosis and ossification of the whole-body joints. The symptoms generally develop before age 30 years, and the gradual progression of the disease adversely affects the physical function, professional ability, and quality of life. This increases the likelihood of developing psychiatric disorders, such as depression. The authors are aware of this severity and introduce recent trends and studies to prevent surgical treatment with various medications before systemic ossification. This paper presents various surgical treatments and complications in patients who were unable to prevent progression and underwent surgical treatment.