Journal
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 12, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.768741
Keywords
ankylosing spondylitis; infections; analytical epidemiology; systematic review; meta-analysis
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Funding
- Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province for the General Program [ZR2020MH339]
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This meta-analysis identified that infections significantly elevate the risks of ankylosing spondylitis, particularly in individuals with unadjusted comorbidities and other types of infection. These findings provide valuable insights for future prevention efforts focused on avoiding infections.
Background: Previous literature on the association between infections and the risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis (AS) presented controversial results. This meta-analysis aimed to quantitatively investigate the effect of infections on the risk of AS. Methods:We searched the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases until March 26, 2021 for analytical epidemiological studies on the association between infections and the risk of AS. Fixed or random effect models were used to calculate total risk estimates based on study heterogeneity. Subgroup analysis, and sensitivity analysis were also performed. Publication bias was estimated using funnel plots and Begg's test. Results:Six case-control articles (n=1,296,239) and seven cohort articles (n=7,618,524) were incorporated into our meta-analysis. The pooled odds ratio (OR) from these case-control studies showed that infections were associated with an increased risk of AS (OR=1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-1.73), and the pooled relative risk (RR) from the cohort studies showed the same findings (RR=1.35, 95% CI, 1.12-1.63). Subgroup analysis showed that infections in participants with unadjusted comorbidities (OR=1.66, 95% CI, 1.35-2.03), other types of infection (OR=1.40, 95% CI, 1.15-1.70), and infection of the immune system (OR=1.46, 95% CI, 1.42-1.49) were associated with the risk of AS in case-control studies. In cohort studies, infections with adjusted comorbidities (RR=1.39, 95% CI, 1.15-1.68), viral infection (RR=1.43, 95% CI, 1.22-1.66), other types of infection (RR=1.44, 95% CI, 1.12-1.86), and other sites of infection (RR=1.36, 95% CI, 1.11-1.67) were associated with an increased risk of AS. Conclusions:The findings of this meta-analysis confirm that infections significantly increase the risks of AS. This is helpful in providing an essential basis for the prevention of AS via the avoidance of infections.
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