This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Low birth weight, infection potentially predictive of ankylosing spondylitis
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Low weight at birth, having older siblings and the presence of hospitalization for infection between the ages of 5 years and 16 years were predictive factors for the development of ankylosing spondylitis, according to research presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual European Congress of Rheumatology.
Data from 1,587 patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and 6,706 healthy individuals from the National Patient Register of individuals born in Sweden after 1972 were reviewed. Healthy control participants were matched 5:1 with patients with AS. Birth characteristics were obtained from the Medical Birth Record, and the National Patient Register was used to identify participants younger than 16 years of age who experienced infection.
The odds ratio (OR) for developing AS was estimated using multivariate and univariate, conditional, and logistic regression models. Birth weight, the type of birth, number of older siblings and exposure to infections, along with covariates of the mothers’ marital status, mother’s country of birth and the size of the delivery setting were compared as exposures.
Univariate analyses showed the OR for developing AS for low birth weight or having older siblings was 1.3. Additionally, the OR was 1.4 for patients who developed infections between the ages of 5 years and 12 years and 1.6 for children who developed infections between the ages of 13 years and 16 years.
Multivariate analyses showed similar estimates for birth weight, gestational age, infections, number of older siblings, mothers’ marital status or birth country and the size of the delivery unit, according to the researchers.
“I think we are getting closer and closer to finding an underlying cause of ankylosing spondylitis,” Ulf Lindström, MD, of the Institute of Medicine, Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, Sweden, said in a press release. “We already know that genetics play a big role in disease development, and now we are starting to pinpoint certain environmental factors that probably play a role, but further research is needed.” – by Shirley Pulawski
Reference:
Lindström U, et al. Paper #OP0275. Presented at: European League Against Rheumatism Annual European Congress of Rheumatology; June 10-13, 2015; Rome.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.