Referral Recommendations for Axial Spondyloarthritis

Ankylosing Spondylitis Clinical Trial

Official title: Performance of Referral Recommendations in Patients With Chronic Back Pain and Suspected Axial Spondyloarthritis

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine which of the proposed screening parameters or which combination of screening parameters perform best in daily clinical practice for making the diagnosis of axial Spondyloarthritis (SpA)in patients with chronic low back pain.

Clinical Trial Description

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and its early form accounts for up to 5% of all patients with chronic back pain. Shortening the delay of 5-10 years between first symptoms and making a diagnosis of AS has become a challenge especially because effective treatments have become available. Easy to apply referral parameters for physicians in primary care may contribute to make the diagnosis earlier.

Methods: Orthopedists and primary care physicians were offered to refer patients with i) chronic low back pain (duration >3 months) and ii) onset of back pain at an age < 45 years to a specialized rheumatology outpatient clinic for further diagnostic work-up if at least one of the following screening parameters was present: 1) inflammatory back pain (IBP), 2) positive HLA-B27, 3) sacroiliitis as detected by imaging. The final diagnosis was made according to expert opinion.

It was analyzed, which parameters or combination of parameters performed best in making a diagnosis of axial SpA. ;

Study Design

N/A

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Ankylosing Spondylitis
• Spondylarthritis
• Spondylarthropathies
• Spondylitis
• Spondylitis, Ankylosing
• Spondyloarthritis
• Spondyloarthropathy

• NCT number: NCT00383617
• Study type: Observational
• Source: Charite University, Berlin, Germany
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: July 2004