Inflammatory Bowel Disease May Increase Disease Activity Markers in axSpA

Patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) had higher levels of disease activity, reflected in higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) levels, compared with patients with axSpA without IBD, according to study results published online ahead of print in Rheumatology International.

“Comparison of axSpA patients with and without IBD showed no difference in clinical disease activity as assessed by visual analog scale (VAS), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), and Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score-ESR scores, suggesting that the differences in CRP and ESR values in these patient groups were due to IBD activity rather than arthritis activity,” wrote researchers from Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Poland.

The study included 161 patients with axSpA and 30 healthy control subjects. Some 11.8% of patients with axSpA had an IBD diagnosis.

Among patients, those with IBD had higher serum CRP level, ESR, and serum ET-1 levels than those without IBD. ET-1 levels correlated positively with CRP level and ESR, and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels correlated positively with VAS scores, in patients with axSpA and IBD, according to the study.

Compared with healthy control subjects, patients with axSpA and IBD had signs of endothelial dysfunction, researchers reported, as reflected in higher serum levels of interleukin (IL)-18 and ADMA and lower serum levels of fetuin-A.

Reference:
Przepiera-Będzak H, Fischer K, Brzosko M. Axial spondyloarthritis and inflammatory bowel disease: association between disease activity and endothelial dysfunction markers [published online ahead of print, 2021 Jul 8]. Rheumatol Int. 2021;10.1007/s00296-021-04940-1. doi:10.1007/s00296-021-04940-1