Background Ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score (ASDAS) is a new disease activity index that didn’t include enthesitis pain assessment. Correlation of ASDAS with enthesitis pain scores in patients hasn’t be investigated previously.

Objectives To investigate correlation between the ASDAS and enthesitis pain assessed by the Maastricht ankylosing spondylitis enthesitis score (MASES) and visual analogical score (VAS).

Methods A cross sectional study was conducted in our department of Rheumatology that includes 56 patients (45 male/10 female) with ankylosing spondylitis according to the modified New York criteria. Clinical data used for calculation of ASDAS, MASES and enthesitis pain VAS were collected. ASDAS formula B was used (calculated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate) [1].

Results Patients mean age were 38,35±11 years [16-73]. The mean ASDAS was 4,5±2,3 [0,5-10,2]. The mean MASES was 3,4±3,5 [0-13]. The mean VAS enthesitis pain was 5,6±2,9 [0 -10]. ASDAS was positively correlated to MASES (r: 0.315, p: 0,033) and to VAS enthesitis pain (r:0.273, p: 0,042) [fig1].

Figure 1: Distribution of ASDAS, enthesitis VAS and MASES in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Conclusions ASDAS is positively correlated to MASES and enthesitis pain VAS despite the fact that he didn’t include enthesitis assessment in his score

1. C Lukas, R Landewe’, J Sieper, et al. Development of an ASAS-endorsed disease activity (ASDAS) in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Ann Rheum Dis 2009;68:18–24.

Disclosure of Interest None Declared