Bassel El-Zorkany

OBJECTIVES: To characterise peripheral musculoskeletal involvement in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) including psoriatic arthritis (PsA), across the world.

METHODS: Cross-sectional study with 24 participating countries. Patients with a diagnosis of axial SpA (axSpA), peripheral SpA (pSpA) or PsA according to their rheumatologist were included. The investigators were asked which diagnosis out of a list of six (axSpA, PsA, pSpA, inflammatory bowel disease-associated SpA, reactive arthritis or juvenile SpA (Juv-SpA)) fitted the patient best. Peripheral manifestations (ie, peripheral joint disease, enthesitis, dactylitis and root joint disease), their localisation and treatments were evaluated.

RESULTS: A total of 4465 patients were included (61% men, mean age 44.5 years) from four geographic areas: Latin America (n=538), Europe plus North America (n=1677), Asia (n=975) and the Middle East plus North Africa (n=1275). Of those, 78% had ever suffered from at least one peripheral musculoskeletal manifestation; 57% had peripheral joint disease, 44% had enthesitis and 15% had dactylitis. Latin American had far more often peripheral joint disease (80%) than patients from other areas. Patients with PsA had predominantly upper limb and small joint involvement (52%).Hip and shoulder involvement was found in 34% of patients. The prevalence of enthesitis ranged between 41% in patients with axSpA and 65% in patients with Juv-SpA. Dactylitis was most frequent among patients with PsA (37%).

CONCLUSION: These results suggest that all peripheral features can be found in all subtypes of SpA, and that differences are quantitative rather than qualitative. In a high proportion of patients, axial and peripheral manifestations coincided. These findings reconfirm SpA clinical subtypes are descendants of the same underlying disease, called SpA.

The management of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is challenging worldwide, and the particular challenges shared by North Africa and the Middle East are mainly related to early diagnosis and standardized management. We believe there are several reasons for these challenges, including: (a) limited awareness of the disease manifestations and prevalence in the region among physicians; (b) the concept of nonradiographic axSpA, while accepted with some difficulty by the rheumatology community, may not be well understood by the referring primary care physicians; (c) access to, and training in magnetic resonance imaging varies greatly between countries in the North Africa and Middle East region, and this may have a large impact on early diagnosis; (d) country-specific treatment guidelines are unavailable; and (e) economic and cultural factors influence patients' attempts to seek and continue treatment. In this review, we will discuss the prevalence of axSpA in North Africa and the Middle East, as well as the challenges to diagnose and treat patients in this region. As rheumatologists practicing in North Africa and the Middle East, we also provide suggestions to assist physicians, other healthcare professionals, and researchers in facilitating early, accurate diagnosis and treatment of axSpA.