Authors: Stephanie McCarthy, Kristopher L. Schmidt, Hongtao Li.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an inflammatory arthritic disease that mostly affects the joints and ligaments of the spine. While research has improved our understanding of AS pathogenesis and its treatment, most of what is known about AS has been obtained from studies in men. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and comorbidities associated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in women with AS. A total of 67 adult women from an AS support group responded to a survey about their AS associated NSAID use. The survey included questions about demographics, time since diagnosis, NSAID use history and frequency, pain level and type, other medications used, and comorbidities diagnosed before and after diagnoses with AS. The most common NSAIDs used were Celecoxib, Naproxen, Meloxicam, and Diclofenac. A majority (91.9%) of participants used a combination treatment that included an additional biologic. While NSAIDs decreased pain in AS patients, no one NSAID was found to be more effective than another in this population. Of the NSAIDs examined, only Celecoxib correlated with a reduction in AS associated spinal pain (patients taking Celecoxib had a spinal pain level of 3.5/10 while those taking other NSAIDs had a pain level of 4.7/10). Hypertension and irritable bowel syndrome were the most common comorbidities among AS participants. One-third of AS patients taking Meloxicam reported hypertension, and Meloxicam correlated with incidence of hypertension (p=0.037). This study of female AS participants suggests that NSAIDs reduce AS pain but that individual NSAIDs vary in their specificity and association with comorbidities.
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