Response to: 'Case of postpartum axial spondyloarthritis by Furuhashi et al

We were pleased to read the correspondence of Furuhashi et al1 who highlighted the importance of considering coexisting risk factors when diagnosing axial spondyloArthritis (ax-SpA) in early postpartum women. The authors correctly pointed out that patients with inflammatory bowel disease are more likely to develop ax-SpA due to common pathogenic mechanisms.2 In fact, the presence of Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis is part of the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society criteria for the diagnosis of ax-SpA.3 In our study, on the prevalence of bone marrow oedema (BME) at the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) in postpartum women,4 we excluded those with known risk factors for developing ax-SpA, such as family or patient history of inflammatory diseases. The exclusion of women with known risk factors for developing ax-SpA was deemed important to eliminate potential confounding factors, and hence ascertain whether observations of sacroiliitis were...

Source: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases - August 11, 2022 Category: Rheumatology Authors: Hoballah, A., Lukas, C., Leplat, C., Taourel, P., Pialat, J.-B., Sans, N., Ramos-Pascual, S., Saffarini, M., Cyteval, C. Tags: ARD Correspondence response Source Type: research