title: [Danish recommendations on treatment of ankylosing spondylitis and spondyloarthritis based on multinational project initiative].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The multinational initiative "3e Initiative in Rheumatology - Multi-national Recommendations for the Management of Ankylosing Spondylitis 2006-7" served the primary purpose of providing specific recommendations for the management of ankylosing spondylitis and spondyloarthritis patients in daily practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  The scientific committees from the ten participating countries selected nine clinical questions regarding diagnosis, monitoring and pharmacologic non-biologic treatment, and the Danish group chose 2 additional questions about non-pharmacologic treatment. Systematic literature searches were performed in Medline by 3 international and a Danish bibliographic fellow. Outcome data were extracted and processed by use of routine methods from clinical epidemiology and statistics. The evidence was presented to the Danish rheumatologists. The participants were divided into three groups, which each proposed recommendations. After a final plenary discussion, a voting session took place. Subsequently, agreement was obtained, and the strength of the recommendations was graded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The bibliographic fellows identified 2,709 relevant manuscripts and included 477 of these in the analysis. All 186 Danish rheumatologists were invited, and 26 (14,0%) participated in the meeting held in Copenhagen, December 2006. The individual recommendations were endorsed by 68-100% of the participants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Within the framework of the multinational 3e project, it was possible to develop Danish recommendations for AS patients by combining an evidence-based approach and the experience of clinical rheumatologists.
authors.affiliation: Medicinsk Reumatologisk Geriatrisk Afdeling Q107, Herlev Hospital, DK-2730 Herlev. susanne_juhl_ped@dadlnet.dk
authors.forename: Susanne Juhl
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: Ole Rintek
authors.initials: OR
authors.lastname: Madsen
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Erlendsson
authors.forename: Berit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schiøttz-Christensen
authors.forename: Inge Juul
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Sørensen
authors.forename: Lis Smedegaard
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Mikkel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ostergaard
mesh_terms: D003718:Denmark; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D025241:Spondylarthritis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy