Author Archives: Margarida Maia PhD

Both nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and more advanced medications appear to keep disease activity and structural damage under control in people with axial spondyloarthritis, including ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a real-world study found. The study, “Clinical and structural damage outcomes in axial spondyloarthritis patients receiving NSAIDs or advanced therapies:…

Tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) appear to work as well and be as safe for adults with late-onset ankylosing spondylitis (AS) as they are for those with earlier symptoms, offering an additional treatment option for older patients, a real-world study suggests. The study, “Assessing safety and efficacy of…

Tapering off a TNF inhibitor — part of a class of medications that block pro-inflammatory molecules — may raise the risk of disease flare in people with spondyloarthritis, including among those with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), compared with staying on a standard dose, according to a review study. Further research…

Sarcopenia, a gradual loss of muscle mass and strength, may happen at a rather young age in people with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a systematic review study has found, with researchers suggesting AS patients should take action early to build muscle tissue and age healthier. While no specific age range…

Nearly half of patients admitted to the hospital for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are discharged to somewhere other than home or return to the hospital within three months, according to a study from over 150 hospitals under HCA Healthcare. Receiving medications such as opioids and steroids during a hospital stay…

While some people with recent-onset axial spondyloarthritis whose joint damage isn’t visible on an X-ray will progress within 10 years to ankylosing spondylitis (AS), where joint damage becomes evident on an X-ray, the risk is relatively low, a French study found. The risk was about halved in patients on TNF inhibitors, but more…

Adding Xeljanz (tofacitinib) to treatment with biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) when these medications aren’t working well may help adults with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) keep their disease activity under control, a study suggests. Because the study included only a few patients, “further prospective randomized controlled trials with large…

High blood levels of two microRNAs, a type of small molecule involved in controlling which genes are turned on and off in cells, may predict a poor response to TNF inhibitors in people with ankylosing spondylitis, according to a study in China. While those…

A gene called NAT10 is less active in blood cells from people with new-onset ankylosing spondylitis (AS) than in those from healthy people, suggesting it may serve as a diagnostic biomarker, a study suggests. When combined with higher levels of immune cells called neutrophils,…

Two or more comorbidities affected nearly half of the ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients in a large study of the disease, with the most common coexisting conditions being uveitis (eye inflammation), depression, and hypertension (high blood pressure). Those with no comorbidities were younger and had shorter disease duration, the researchers reported,…