The Impact of Osteoporosis in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis and Its Relationship to Physical Activity
Abstract
Background: Osteoporosis (OP) is a major fracture risk in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and there are few qualitative reports on bone massin AS. Objective: The aim of this study was to correlate the bone mineral density (BMD) with disease activity and physical activity (PA)in AS. Materials and Methods: Sixty-two participants who met the criteria for diagnosis of AS (28 males and 34 females) were recruitedfrom Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital Baghdad, Iraq. The study was conducted at baseline and after 6 months of exercises. European healthrelatedquality of life was used to reflect physical function. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein were used to evaluateAS disease as markers for disease activity. The study measured BMD at two events, before and after performing the relevant exercise.Results: Results found that 9.6% of patients reported fractures. Low bone mass in the AS patients were 17 (27%) in number. Osteopenicpatients were 9 (14%) in number, while osteoporotic patients were 8 (13%) in number. An association (P = 0.05) between BMD and PA wasnoticed in AS participants. There was a weak (P ˂ 0.055) significant association of higher European health-related quality of life scores withlower spinal and hip BMD. No association of AS disease activity with BMD was found, although bone loss in AS is common in persistentactive disease; regular PA seems to be a positive factor for improving bone quantity and prevent fracture. Programmed exercise promoteshealthy bone. The severity of AS in Iraq is less than the other countries. Conclusion: PA in AS patients has a positive effect on bone status.This implies that AS disease-related loss in BMD is preventable by the relevant exercise program. This information is important, as it can beutilized while designing preventive and treatment plans for AS patients.
Keywords
Ankylosing spondylitis, bone mineral density, European health‑related quality of life, physical activityMetrics