title: Clinical Assessment and Management of Spondyloarthritides in the Middle East: A Multinational Investigation.
abstract: Data on spondyloarthritis (SpA) from the Middle East are sparse and the management of these diseases in this area of the world faces a number of challenges, including the relevant resources to enable early diagnosis and referral and sufficient funds to aid the most appropriate treatment strategy. The objective was to report on the characteristics, disease burden, and treatment of SpA in the Middle East region and to highlight where management strategies could be improved, with the overall aim of achieving better patient outcomes. This multicenter, observational, cross-sectional study collected demographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment data on 169 consecutive SpA patients at four centers (Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia). The data collected presents the average time from symptom onset to diagnosis along with the presence of comorbidities in the region and comparisons between treatment with NSAIDs and biologics. In the absence of regional registries of SpA patients, the data presented here provide a rare snapshot of the characteristics, disease burden, and treatment of these patients, highlighting the management challenges in the region.
authors.affiliation: Hamad Medical Corporation, Department of Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hammoudeh
authors.affiliation: Prince Sultan Military Medical Center, P.O. Box 5004, Riyadh 11422, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hanan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Al Rayes
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 24923, 13110 Al-Safat, Kuwait.
authors.forename: Adel
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9550-3377
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alawadhi
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology and Immunology Unit, Internal Medicine Department, Cairo University, Cairo 11562, Egypt.
authors.forename: Kamel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gado
authors.affiliation: Pfizer Inc. Africa & Middle East, Dubai, UAE.
authors.forename: Khalid
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shirazy
authors.affiliation: Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA.
authors.forename: Atul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deodhar