A new study has identified more than a dozen medications that may serve as treatments for osteoporosis in people with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The medications target genes common to both osteoporosis and AS, but more studies will be needed to determine whether they can ease AS-associated osteoporosis. The study,…

People with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are more likely to develop osteoporosis than the general population, and also seem to develop it earlier in life, according to data from a large medical database in Israel. The risk of the bone condition was particularly higher for women, older patients, and people…

Overall, patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are more likely to develop osteoporosis compared to the general population, a new study shows. However, the risk is particularly high for AS patients who are female, older than 65, and have abnormal fat levels in the blood (dyslipidemia). The study with those findings,…

Long-term treatment with TNF-alpha inhibitors improves bone mineral density (BMD) but does not affect the progression of vertebral fractures in people with ankylosing spondylitis, according to a study. The study, “Long‐term Treatment with TNF‐alpha Inhibitors Improves Bone Mineral Density But Not Vertebral Fracture Progression in Ankylosing…

Malfunction of the ankylosing spondylitis-associated gene, ERAP1, is connected to the loss of a certain type of immune cell, which seems to contribute to the inflammation process associated with the disease, according to a mouse study. Researchers now want to move to human trials in the coming years to validate…

A pilot study will investigate how Cosentyx (secukinumab), which has been approved for some autoimmune disorders, affects bone health in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The upcoming study — titled “The Effects of Secukinumab on Bone Health and Metabolism” — is currently recruiting and will look at the effects of Cosentyx…

Active inflammation in the bone is a major risk factor for bone loss in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. That finding was in the study “Bone edema on magnetic resonance imaging is highly associated with low bone mineral density in patients with ankylosing spondylitis,” which was published in the open-access…

The best site to determine bone loss in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients is the femoral neck, according to Swedish researchers. The study, “Which measuring site in ankylosing spondylitis is best to detect bone loss and what predicts the decline: results from a 5-year prospective study,” was…

After analyzing 80 axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients, a French research team found a lower bone mineral density (BMD, or weaker bones) among those who also have a lower body mass index (BMI). The results were reported in a study titled “Prevalence and risk factors of low bone mineral density…