AB0737 Clinical Axial Involvement in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis Is Underestimated: Impact on Burden of The Disease. Data from The Bepas Cohort

BackgroundPsoriatic Arthritis is often considered to be predominantly peripheral presenting with arthritis, dactylitis and enthesitis. Consequently randomized controlled trials, screening procedures for early detection and treatment strategies largely focus on peripheral disease. Axial involvement is considered less common. The BEPAS cohort (Belgian Epidemiological Psoriatic Arthritis Study) is a prospective multicenter real life cohort set up in 17 Belgian large academic and non academic rheumatology practices that offers a unique opportunity to study the axial involvement in this patient group.Objectives(1) To estimate the prevalence of axial involvement in patients with PsA in general (2) to estimate the prevalence of inflammatory back pain in patients with PsA; (3) to estimate the influence of disease duration on spinal manifestations.MethodsPatients included in the BEPAS cohort were evaluated for the presence of a clinical phenotype indicating axial involvement, the specific presence of spinal complaints (reported by patients) and the presence of inflammatory back pain according the Rudwaleit criteria. Demographics and clinical features were recorded. BASDAI and BASMI were calculated.ResultsAmong the 461 recruited patients (mean age: 52.79 years (±12.29), male 57%) 157 patients (34,1%) fulfilled the Berlin Criteria for inflammatory back pain with a higher prevalence in female patients (40,5% vs 28,9%, p=0.007) at inclusion.A family history of ankylosing spondylitis is reported in 3.3% of the patients. Clinical characteristics and demographics are listed in table 1.IBP_at inclusionIBP(−) (304)IBP(+) (157)PMeanSDMeanSDIBP(+) vs IBP(−)Age at onset of PsA (yr)45.5113.8642.9814.160.066Age at onset 1st PsA complaints (yr)42.5814.4538.7114.460.007Disease duration PsA (yrs)8.308.959.199.930.332Sympt duration PsO (yrs)11.1510.6713.4011.020.037BASMI17.495.7120.496.06