Pattern of disease onset, diagnostic delay, and clinical features in juvenile onset and adult onset ankylosing spondylitis.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the frequency of juvenile onset ankylosing spondylitis (JOAS) in Turkish patients with AS and to compare with adult onset AS (AOAS) in a cross-sectional study design.


METHODS
A total of 322 patients were recruited from the joint database of 5 university hospitals in eastern Turkey.


RESULTS
Patients with JOAS (n = 43, 13.4%) had significantly longer diagnostic delay (9.21 vs 5.08 yrs), less severe axial involvement and more prevalent uveitis (OR 2.92, 95% CI 1.25-6.79), and peripheral involvement at onset (OR 3.25, 95% CI 1.51-6.98, adjusted for current age; and OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.07-4.76, adjusted for disease duration). Patients with AOAS had higher radiographic scores and more restricted clinimetrics but similar functional limitations and quality of life.


CONCLUSIONS
JOAS and AOAS had distinctive courses and Turkish patients with AS had similar features compared to other Caucasian patient populations.
Ozgocmen
Salih
S
Division of Rheumatology, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Gevher Nesibe Hospital, Erciyes University, School of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey. sozgocmen@hotmail.com
Ardicoglu
Ozge
O
Kamanli
Ayhan
A
Kaya
Arzu
A
Durmus
Bekir
B
Yildirim
Kadir
K
Baysal
Ozlem
O
Gur
Ali
A
Karatay
Saliha
S
Altay
Zuhal
Z
Cevik
Remzi
R
Erdal
Akin
A
Ersoy
Yuksel
Y
Sarac
Aysegul J
AJ
Tekeoglu
Ibrahim
I
Ugur
Mahir
M
Nas
Kemal
K
Senel
Kazim
K
Ulusoy
Hasan
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult