SPONDYLOARTHRITIS: EVOLUTION OF A CONCEPT

Abstract

A new concept in spondyloarthritis (SpA) aimed to ease the diagnosis of the early stages of the disease differentiates axial SpA without radiological signs of sacroiliitis and ankylosing spondilitis (AS). However, such division of the entire nosological entity into two is illogical. oreover, it contradicts International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) and does not have a clinical proof (clinical data support), which was demonstrated in the work of E.E. Gubar et al. published in the present issue of the journal. Therefore it appears more reasonable to consider non-radiological axial SpA (with sacroiliitis confirmed by MRI) as an early stage of SpA.

Keywords

• axial spondyloarthritis
• ankylosing spondilitis
• sacroiliitis
• classification