title: Relationship between disease activity and infection in patients with spondyloarthropathies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relationship between disease activity and signs and symptoms of infection in Mexican patients with spondyloarthropathies (SpA).
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross sectional study of 95 non-selected patients with SpA (62 men; mean age 26.4 years), who were examined for signs and symptoms of infection and their association with disease activity. 52 had ankylosing spondylitis (AS), 32 undifferentiated SpA (uSpA), 6 chronic reactive arthritis (ReA), and 5 psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Categorical data were analysed by chi(2) or Fisher's tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  53 (56%) patients had infections: 41 (43%) upper respiratory tract (URT), 34 (36%) enteric, and 20 (21%) genitourinary infections. More infections occurred in HLA-B27 positive patients as a whole (39 v 5; p = 0.003) and in uSpA (12 v 2; p = 0.005). In AS and uSpA, infections occurred in approximately 50%. 30/39 (77%) patients with active disease (group A) and 23/56 (41%) (group B) (p = 0.001) had infection. There were more enteric infections in group A (47%; p<0.001) and more URT infections in group B (52%; p = NS). 22/30 (73%) patients attributed disease activity to infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Enteric, and less commonly, URT infections in Mexican patients with SpA, particularly those who were HLA-B27 positive, seem to have a role in the active phase of AS and uSpA.
authors.affiliation: Hospital General de México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Dr Balmis 148, México DF 06726.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pacheco-Tena
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vázquez-Mellado
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burgos-Vargas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016918:Arthritis, Reactive / Q000382:microbiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004756:Enterobacteriaceae Infections / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D000091402:Prohibitins; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000150:complications; D025242:Spondylarthropathies / Q000382:microbiology*; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000382:microbiology; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen; C000717331:PHB2 protein, human; D000091402:Prohibitins