Spinal involvement in women under 40 years of age with no history of rheumatic disease

Abstract

Introduction: Spinal involvement is frequent in patients with rheumatic diseases, after the age of 50 years. In women under 40 years of age, it has not been adequately studied. Objective: To clinically and epidemiologically characterize female patients under 40 years of age with spine involvement. Methods: A descriptive, longitudinal study was carried out in 341 female patients who attended consultation for spine involvement without a diagnosis of rheumatic disease. They were studied with quarterly follow-up during 2 years in specialized consultation. General, clinical, imaging and evolution characteristics were determined. Results: Mean age, 27.58 years, time of involvement between 3 and 6 months (46.63%); 61.29% reported cervical involvement and pain as the main clinical manifestation (86.51%); in 70.09% of the cases radiological findings were identified within which the decrease in joint space was the most representative (55.65%). In 52.49% there was resolution of the spine involvement and in 26.10% it evolved into rheumatoid arthritis. Conclusions: The patients are characterized by being young, with time of evolution of spinal involvement between 3 and 6 months, self-identified as mixed race, without comorbidities, with cervical involvement, mainly pain and neuropathic manifestations, with presence of imaging findings (mainly decrease of intervertebral space) and that the involvement evolved towards resolution of the involvement in slightly more than half, but to a lesser extent towards RE or other.

Keywords

• artritis reumatoide
• cervicalgia
• columna vertebral
• enfermedad reumática
• espondiloartropatías
• lupus eritematoso sistémico