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Letter
Unexpected impact of COVID-19 lockdown on spinal mobility and health perception in spondyloarthritis
  1. Sophie De Mits1,2,
  2. Ann-Sophie De Craemer1,3,
  3. Liselotte Deroo1,3,
  4. Thomas Renson1,3,
  5. Filip E Van den Bosch1,3,
  6. Philippe Carron1,3,
  7. Dirk Elewaut1,3
  1. 1Rheumatology, Ghent University Hospital, Gent, Belgium
  2. 2Podiatry, Artevelde University College, Gent, Belgium
  3. 3Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Unit, VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, Zwijnaarde, Belgium
  1. Correspondence to Sophie De Mits, Rheumatology, Ghent University Hospital, Gent 9000, Belgium; Sophie.DeMits{at}UGent.be

http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-220584

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    Physical therapy (PT) forms the cornerstone of non-pharmacological treatment in axial spondyloarthritis (SpA).1 The effect of temporary cessation of PT on SpA outcomes is unknown. Therefore, we evaluated the impact of a lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity patterns, spinal mobility and health perception in SpA.

    Patients of the BeGIANT cohort, a Belgian multicentre prospective observational registry of newly diagnosed patients with SpA, completed an online questionnaire during the first lockdown in Belgium (March/April 2020), followed by a standardised clinical examination immediately thereafter. The online questionnaire (online supplemental file 1), developed jointly with patient advocacy groups, assessed changes in PT, exercise and sport regimens. We also probed the impact of a lockdown on health perception, including completion of the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) Questionnaire, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index. Patients from this lockdown cohort were clinically assessed by measuring Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI) and chest expansion immediately after the lockdown (May 2020). Data were compared with the last available measurements as part of the standardised follow-up.

    Supplemental material

    [annrheumdis-2021-220584supp001.pdf]

    The online questionnaire was completed by 185 patients during the third week of the lockdown, of whom 65 patients (35 men, (mean±SD) age 40.8±11.6 years, symptom duration of 10.5±8.0 years) visited our outpatient clinic immediately post-lockdown. All 65 patients had stable disease and therapy prior to the lockdown. Among 33 (51%) patients following PT, 30 discontinued due to inaccessibility as a …

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    Footnotes

    • SDM and A-SDC are joint first authors.

    • Handling editor Josef S Smolen

    • Twitter @PhilippeCarron

    • PC and DE contributed equally.

    • Contributors SDM—conception and design of research, acquisition of data analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the manuscript and revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published and shared first authorship. A-SDC—

      conception and design of research, acquisition of data analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the manuscript and revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published and shared first authorship. LD—conception and design of research, acquisition of data, drafting the manuscript and revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content and final approval of the version to be published. TR—conception and design of research, acquisition of data, drafting the manuscript and revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content and final approval of the version to be published. FEVdB—conception and design of research analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the manuscript and revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content and final approval of the version to be published. PC—conception and design of research analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the manuscript and revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published and equal contributorship with DE. DE—conception and design of research analysis and interpretation of data, drafting the manuscript and revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, final approval of the version to be published and equal contributorship with PC.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.