RESEARCH - Radiological characteristics of the lumbar spine in patients with RA

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Presse Med. 2007 Oct;36(10 Pt 1):1385-9. Epub 2007 May 16.

[Radiological characteristics of the lumbar spine in patients with

rheumatoid arthritis][Article in French]

Harzy T, Allali F, Bennani-Othmani M, Hajjaj-Hassouni N.

Service de rhumatologie, Hôpital El Ayachi, CHU Ibn Sina, Rabat-Salé,

Maroc. t_harzy@...

AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity

of lumbar lesions on radiography of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

(RA) and of population controls and to study the correlation between

lumbar lesions and RA severity. METHODS: RA patients who met the

revised American College of Rheumatology criteria were matched with

population controls for age, sex, and the presence (or absence) of low

back pain. Thoracolumbar radiographs were read by two observers

looking for vertebral fractures, disc space narrowing, endplate

erosion, facet joint involvement, and osteophytosis. A severity score

was assigned to each lesion. RESULTS: This study included 60 RA

patients and 60 controls, matched for sex (54 women and 6 men in each

group) and age (mean age was 47.8+/-14 years in the RA group and

48.4+/-14 years in the control group). Prevalence of lumbar lesions

was 83% in RA patients and 85% in the control subjects (p=0.8).

Vertebral fractures were significantly more frequent in RA patients

(p=0.042). In the RA group, disc space narrowing and the severity of

endplate erosion were both correlated with higher Larsen grades

(p=0.02 and 0.007 respectively), and the severity of endplate erosion

was correlated with coxitis (p=0.03).

DISCUSSION: In our study, radiological lumbar lesions, except for

vertebral fractures, were no more common among RA patients than among

population controls. Endplate erosion and vertebral disc destruction

were correlated with RA severity scores.

PMID: 17509810

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17509810

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