Validity of bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index in evaluation of disease activity in patients with early axial spondylarthritis

Validity of Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index In Evaluation of Disease Activity in Patients With Early Axial SpondylarthritisBeing the prototype of the spondyloarthropathy disease group ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a sistematically chronical inflammatory disease, watched in intermittent conflagrations with a insidous beginning at young age. Holding the sacroiliac articulars and the backbone it shows progressive course. Early axial spondylarthritis is a disease in which axial involvement is dominant, it contains clinical signs but the radiographic differences in the sacroiliac articulars haven´t been found yet. This study was done to find the validity of BASDAI (Bath Anklylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index) in early axial spondylarthritis.Twenty eight patient with axial spondylarthritis and 27 patient with AS have been included to our studies. With BASDAI score > 3 and patients who haven´t taken any medicine for 8 weeks have been included to our studies. To both groups 17 patients who supplied this criterions have been included. To patients of both groups 15 mg meloxicam was applied daily. The patients were evaluated at the beginning, in the fourth and eighth weeks of the procedure through medical visits. The last 2 days pain level and the last week global evaluation of the patients was evaluated with visual analog scale (VAS). With the BASFI (Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index) containing ten questions about functional clinical evaluation and with the BASDAI containing 6 questions about disease activity of the last week was evaluated in the fourth and eighth weeks. Exact blood number, routine biochemistry, sedimentation, RF, CRP, HLA B27 and Brucella serology studies have been made with the patients.While BASDAI scores are evaluated before and after the treatment for the early axial SpA group for the responsiveness analysis, the effect size and the standardized response mean have been used. In the fourth question of BASDAI and in BASDAI total score significant difference have been gained. In the ankylosing spondylitis group when the BASDAI scores were evalutated before and after the treatment, the second question of the BASDAI gained a great effect size score and evaluating the BASDAI total score, VAS pain score and the patient?s global assessment a middle range effect score was gained. While evaluating the differences gained through the treetment between both groups it was stated that only the fifth question of BASDAI showed significant differences (p=0,043). Eight weeks later ASAS 20 response from 4 patients (23,5 %) of the early axial SpA group and ASAS 20 response from 6 patients (35,3 %) of the AS group were taken.As a result, when you compare both groups the effect size evaluation while treatment have been found high in favour for the AS group in many evaluation parametrises. When the BASDAI scores and other evaluations considered it can bee seen that the answer to the treatment from the axial SpA group have been more limited than the one from the late AS patients. Despite the limitations the BASDAI score can be said to be a a disease activity parameter that can be used to identify response to the treatment in axial SpA patients.Key Words: Ankylosing spondylitis, axial spondylarthritis, BASDAI meloxicam