title: Prevalence of spondyloarthritis in Terceira, Azores: a population based study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of spondyloarthritis (SpA) in the Caucasian population of Terceira Island, Azores.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study subjects were recruited from people over the age of 50 years from one half of the island of Terceira (n=24 561). Seventy eight men and 78 women from each five year age group were selected, giving a total of 468 men and 468 women available for study, of whom 490 agreed to take part. These subjects were assessed by dorsal, lumbar, and pelvic radiography. Radiological sacroiliitis was identified in eight patients on whom sacroiliac computed tomography scans were performed. HLA class I typing by polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers was carried out in seven cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SpA was present in eight subjects (1.6%, 95% CI 0.8 to 2.7%), including seven men (2.7%) and one woman (0.4%). Three (1.2% ) male patients with definite ankylosing spondylitis were HLA-B27 positive. Only one person had a previous diagnosis of SpA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data complement previous studies in European countries on SpA prevalence and establish an estimate of the overall prevalence of SpA in a southern European population.
authors: Laboratório de Imunogenética, Internal Medicine and Radiology, Hospital de Santo Espírito, Angra do Heroísmo, Azores, Portugal. jacome.armas@netc.pt
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Bruges-Armas
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Lima
authors: M J
authors: MJ
authors: Peixoto
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Santos
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Mendonça
authors: B Martins
authors: BM
authors: da Silva
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Herrero-Beaumont
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Calin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001394:Azores / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012446:Sacroiliac Joint; D025241:Spondylarthritis / Q000453:epidemiology*