title: Effect of pregnancy on ankylosing spondylitis: a case-control study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of pregnancy on ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Our study aimed to determine the severity of back pain and stiffness pre-, during, and postpartum in patients with AS and controls, and corresponding extraarticular symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nineteen female patients with AS (35 pregnancies) and 33 controls (77 pregnancies) were studied. Improvement in pain was reported in 51% of AS patients, predominantly in the first trimester, with significant improvement in pain than stiffness. In both groups, pain worsened in later stages, likely secondary to biomechanical loading. Postpartum pain scores in AS returned to prepartum levels in general.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pregnancy does not substantially aggravate disease activity or severity in AS.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, University of Toronto, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Nai Lee
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Lui
authors.forename: Nigil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Haroon
authors.forename: Adele
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carty
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Sutha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shanmugarajah
authors.forename: Dafna D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Gladman
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Inman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001416:Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires