ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

Abstract Number: 1555

Axial Spondyloarthritis in Patients with Gastrointestinal Involvement of Behçet Syndrome

Musab Ozturk1, Sinem Nihal Esatoglu2, Ibrahim Hatemi3, Aykut Ferhat Celik3, Osman Aykan Kargin4, Ahmet Oz4, Erkan Yilmaz5, Didar Ucar6, Melike Melikoglu2, Hasan Yazici7, Ibrahim Adaletli4 and Gulen Hatemi2, 1Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Department of Internal Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey, 2Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Istanbul, Turkey, 3Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Istanbul, Turkey, 4Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Department of Radiology, Istanbul, Turkey, 5Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Istanbul, Turkey, 6Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Cerrahpasa Medical School, Department of Ophthalmology, Istanbul, Turkey, 7Academic Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey

Meeting: ACR Convergence 2023

Keywords: , , , ,

Session Information

Date: Monday, November 13, 2023

Title: (1554–1578) Vasculitis – Non-ANCA-Associated & Related Disorders Poster II

Session Type: Poster Session B

Session Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM

Background/Purpose: Controlled studies have shown that radiographic sacroiliitis was not increased in Behçet syndrome (BS), compared to other inflammatory diseases. However, gastrointestinal involvement of Behçet syndrome (GIBS) shares common features with inflammatory bowel disease which, in turn, can be associated with spondyloarthritis (SpA). We wanted to see whether GIBS patients have an increased frequency of radiographic sacroiliitis or non-radiographic axial spondyloarthropathy (nr-AxSpA) compared to BS patients with only mucocutaneous and/or joint involvement with no major organ involvement.

Methods: We included 71 GIBS patients and 76 consecutive BS patients without major organ involvement. Patients were screened for axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) using the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society (ASAS) criteria. First they were questioned for chronic back pain, defined by ASAS as the presence of chronic back pain for more than 3 months and an age at onset of < 45 years. Patients with chronic back pain were questioned for other spondyloarthritis features and tested for HLA-B27 status, CRP levels and X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging of the sacroiliac joints. All radiologic images were evaluated independently and blind bytwo radiologists.

Results: Chronic back pain was reported by 30 (42%) GIBS patients and 25 (33%) BS patients with only mucocutaneous and/or joint involvement (p=0.24). Five (7%) GIBS patients and 4 (5%) controls met ASAS criteria for axSpA (p=0.74). Only 1 GIBS patient had radiographic axSpA (also termed ankylosing spondylitis), whereas 4 GIBS patients and 4 patients among the controls had nr-AxSpA. HLA B27 was positive in 3 (4%) of the GIBS patients and in 5 (7%) of the controls (p=0.72). There were no significant differences between the groups regarding other SpA features of the ASAS criteria (Table).

Conclusion: The frequency of axSpA in GIBS patients was not found to be higher than that in BS patients who have only mucocutaneous and/or joint involvement. This finding further suggests that, despite certain clinical similarities between GIBS and Crohn’s disease, different disease mechanisms may be involved.

Supporting image 1

Table. Demographics and clinical characteristics

Disclosures: M. Ozturk: None; S. Esatoglu: None; I. Hatemi: None; A. Celik: None; O. Kargin: None; A. Oz: None; E. Yilmaz: None; D. Ucar: None; M. Melikoglu: None; H. Yazici: None; I. Adaletli: None; G. Hatemi: None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Ozturk M, Esatoglu S, Hatemi I, Celik A, Kargin O, Oz A, Yilmaz E, Ucar D, Melikoglu M, Yazici H, Adaletli I, Hatemi G. Axial Spondyloarthritis in Patients with Gastrointestinal Involvement of Behçet Syndrome [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2023; 75 (suppl 9). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/axial-spondyloarthritis-in-patients-with-gastrointestinal-involvement-of-behcet-syndrome/. Accessed .

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/axial-spondyloarthritis-in-patients-with-gastrointestinal-involvement-of-behcet-syndrome/