Spondyloarthritis: diagnostic challenges and possibilities of modern methods of high-tech medical care

V.V. Vakhlevsky, I.S. Svinitskaya, V.V. Tyrenko

S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy, St. Petersburg

In the diagnosis of rheumatic diseases, detailed complaints, medical history, laboratory and instrumental research methods are crucial. The correctness of the treatment tactics and patient management depends on the timely diagnosis, which ensures retardation in the disease progression and allows achieving effective disease control in dynamics. The article describes a clinical case of lately diagnosed ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in a 34-year-old young patient with severe coxitis. The disease onset started with the pain occurrence in the left hip joint (HJ). For two years, the patient was under follow-up with a diagnosis of reactive arthritis of unspecified etiology with systemic manifestations. Despite the ongoing therapy (prednisolone, sulfasalazine), the articular syndrome progression was noted. After an additional examination, the diagnosis of high-activity AS (ASDAS_CRP — 3.03, BASDAI — 3.6), with non-axial (bilateral coxitis) manifestations, HLA-B27-positive was established criterion-wise. Complication: stage III bilateral coxarthrosis with a predominant lesion of the left HJ with severe pain syndrome. To achieve a rapid effect and reduce the disease progression, a TNF-α inhibitor was prescribed. As a result of treatment, disease low activity was achieved, which made it possible to successfully perform total left HJ replacement.

Keywords: ankylosing spondylitis, coxitis, coxarthrosis, hip replacement, genetically engineered biological therapy, TNF-α inhibitor, prednisolone.

For citation: Vakhlevsky V.V., Svinitskaya I.S., Tyrenko V.V. Spondyloarthritis: diagnostic challenges and possibilities of modern methods of high-tech medical care. RMJ. 2021;7:70–73.