Prevalence of comorbidities and evaluation of screening in Chinese patients with spondyloarthritis

The aim of the study was to determine whether the presence of spondyloarthritis (SpA) is associated with particular comorbidities and evaluate the prevalence of comorbidities, risk factors, and monitoring status in China. Three hundred forty-six patients fulfilling ASAS criteria for SpA were recruited from the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. The prevalence of comorbidities and percentage of patients optimally monitored for comorbidities were calculated. The most frequent comorbidities were osteoporosis (31.0%) and hepatitis B virus infection (18.5%). Only 1 patient was found to have active tuberculosis. Several cancer screenings were performed in very few patients. Among 45 patients ever exposed to a biological DMARDs, 35 (77%) and 36 (80%) underwent a screening test for viral hepatitis and tuberculosis. Among patients without a history of hypertension, elevated blood pressure was detected in 5.8% of the patients. Hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia were also found in patients during the study. One hundred twenty-two (35.3%) of the 346 patients never had either calcium or vitamin D for prevention of osteoporosis. Patients with SpA have high risks of comorbidities but have not monitored properly. More attention should be paid for systematic screening and an early detection of comorbidities in patients with SpA.