Espondiloartropatias seronegativas y viceversa

Abstract

Introduction. Spondyloarthropathies (SpAs) are a group of interrelated diseases with joint inflammatory involvement and extraarticular findings. Autoimmune diseases (ADs), in turn, are a clinical syndrome caused by the loss of immune tolerance. It is characterized by T or B cell activation leading to tissue damage in the absence of any other cause. There is no substantial evidence that SpAs are autoimmune diseases but they can be considered autoinflammatory diseases. Since polyautoimmunity is one of the major clinical characteristics of ADs, our purpose was to investigate the relationship between SpAs and ADs. Materials and methods. 2 groups were analyzed. First, we examined the presence of ADs in a cohort of patients with SpA (N=148). Second, we searched for the presence of SpA in a well defined group of patients with ADs (N=1077) including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). Results. In SpAs group, there were two patients presenting with SS (1.4%) and five patients with autoimmune hypothyroidism (3.5%). No other AD was found in this group. Prevalence of ADs in SpAs was 4.86%. In ADs group, 5 patients with SpAs were observed (0.46%). Conclusion. This study does not suggest a relationship between SpAs and ADs, stressing evidence that SpAs correspond more to autoinflammatory diseases rather than to ADs.