title: Investigation of Cardiac Complications and their Incidence in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease with unknown etiology which involves the sacroiliac and axial joints, but can also cause peripheral conflicts. It also comprises non-joint symptoms such as acute anterior uveitis, cardiac conduction defects, upper lobe pulmonary fibrosis, neurological involvement and renal amyloidosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical survey. In this study, 50 patients with AS were examined according to the New York Criteria in Army 501 Hospital in Tehran. Physical examinations, laboratory testing and HLA-B27, as well as X-ray of the spine and sacroiliac joint were taken from all subjects and involvement grading was identified. The control group consisted of 40 healthy people with no evidence of disease. The people resembled the study group in terms of age, sex, smoking, presence of high blood pressure, history of ischemic heart disease and also diabetes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of patients in control and study group was 33.97 and 33.65 years, respectively. 37 (92.5%) patients in the control group and 46 in study group (92%) were male. The mean duration of cardiac involvement in patients was 8.6 years with SD=6.26. In AS group, 48 (96%) patients suffered from back pain, 43 from enteritis, 100% from Ankylosing Spondylitis, one from unilateral involvement, 22(44%) from peripheral arthritis and 27 (54%) from HLA-B27.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In total, Average heart involvement in the control group and AS group was 13.25 with SD=7.64 and 16.2 with SA=8.54, respectively, indicating no significant difference. In sum, based on the results obtained in this study, some types of heart involvements, such as mitral valve regurgitation and Mitral Valve Prolapse in AS patients are more prevalent than in the normal population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soroush
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahmood
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mominzadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, 502 Hospital, AJA university of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Younes
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ghelich
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Soosan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soroosh
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, AJA university of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Morteza Aghajanpoor
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pasha
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D006772:Hospitals, Military; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Ankylosing Spondylitis; Arthritis; Cardiac involvement; Mitral valve