OBJECTIVES: The study aims to describe the disease characteristics of Filipino patients diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in different rheumatology clinics in Metro Manila, Philippines.

METHODS: The study retrospectively reviewed the records of all Filipino AS patients aged 18 years old and above,diagnosed by the Rome Criteria and seen from January 2000 to May 2012 at the rheumatology outpatient clinic of the Philippine General Hospital and in different rheumatology clinics in Metro Manila. Demographics, joint manifestations, radiographic findings, and medications were described and tabulated. Descriptive statistics included mean and standard deviation for quantitative variables and frequency and percentage for qualitative variables. .

RESULTS: Forty-seven Filipino AS patients were included in the study. The male to female ratio was 46:1. The mean age at diagnosis was 33.2 +/- 10.93 years while the mean disease duration was 7.04 +/- 4.28 years. Seven (14.8%) patients had a family history of AS while twelve (70.6%) tested positive for HLA-B27. The lumbar spine was the most commonly affected site in the majority (80.9%) of subjects. A significant number of participants (70.2%) also had peripheral joint involvement,with the knee being the most common peripheral joint involved (72.7%). In terms of imaging, sacroiliitis was found in the majority (87.5%) of patients. All patients received standard rehabilitation exercises and almost all (97.9%) were on NSAIDs. Nine (19.1%) patients each received opioids and DMARD therapy, while eight (17%) received anti-TNF therapy.

CONCLUSION: Filipino patients with AS are mostly young males presenting with chronic lumbar pain and HLA-B27 positivity.The data gathered in this study may help local physicians identify AS early in affected patients, giving them access to early intervention and thereby preventing progressive structural and functional deterioration.