Long term inhibition of hip joint damage under tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors in spondyloarthritis

•Hip involvement may induce significant impairment on function in patients with SpA.•Hip prosthesis may lead to infections or need revision surgery.•THA should no longer be considered as the optimal option for hip involvement.•Anti-TNF therapy may decelerate or inhibit hip joint lesion progression in SpA. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of long-term treatment with TNF blockers on the radiographic progression of hip disease in spondyloarthritis (SpA). This retrospective multicentric cohort study included 2 groups of patients with SpA and hip involvement. Patients of group 1 were treated with anti-TNF alpha for at least 2 years, whereas those of group 2 were anti-TNF-naïve patients. Clinical, laboratory and radiologic parameters were assessed at baseline and after at least 2 years. Groups 1 and 2 included respectively 48 and 46 patients. The radiological features of hip disease were comparable between the two groups at baseline. The second evaluation was performed after an average duration of 4.1 ± 2.9 years [2–10] in group 1 and 4.8 ± 2.1 years [2–14] in group 2 (p = 0.116). The absence of hip structural damage was more frequently found in group 1 (72 hips vs 52, p