Metabolic Syndrome in Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis

Abstract

Background: The objective of this study is to investigate the presence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and to evaluate its relationship with the clinical parameters.

Methods: Fifty patients who presented to the Dicle University School of Medicine, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic and were diagnosed with AS according to the 1984 New York criteria were enrolled in this study. The control group consisted of 44 healthy control subjects. Assessment of the MS was made according to the diagnostic criteria specified in the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III Report (NCEP ATP III). Functional status and disease activity were evaluated using the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) and the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) for AS.

Results: MS was observed in 6 out of the 50 AS patients (12%) and in 2 out of the 44 controls (4.5%) (P > 0.05). However, the HDL cholesterol level (P = 0.006) was found as significantly lower in AS patients than the controls. No statistically significant differences were observed in the disease duration and functional and clinical activity indices between the AS patients with and without MS.

Conclusion: Although the frequency of MS was observed to be higher in patients with AS than the controls in this study, the differences were statistically insignificant between the two groups.




J Endocrinol Metab. 2011;1(5):215-219
doi: https://doi.org/10.4021/jem61e