Introduction: Ankylosing Spondylitis is a chronic rheumatic arthritis with specifically related to lumbar spine and femoral neck. The disease is more common in young men. Inflame and inactive condition of patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis leads to a low bone mineral density. Determining osteomalacia has clinical significance because of the relation to bone density.\r\n', u'Objectives: To study the prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia in Ankylosing Spondylitis and to investigate correlation between bone mineral density and age at the beginning of the disease, BASDAI, BMI\r\n', u'Subjects and methods:119 male patients with ankylosing spondylitis, mean age of 29.0 \xb1 10.8 as defined by New York criteria modified in 1984. Bone mineral density was measured at the lumbar spine and hip with Unigamma X ray - Plus. Results: 26.1 % of patients had lumbar spine osteopenia and osteoporosis, while 41.2% had femoral neck osteopenia and osteoporosis. The beginning of the disease was 22.1 \xb1 7.8 and had correlation with bone density in lumbar spine. Low BMI group had decreased bone density in lumbar spine and femoral neck (BMI < 18.5), (p=0.0001 and p=0,005, respectively). Patients with active disease had lower bone density than those with stable disease.\r\n', u'Conclusion: Ankylosing spondylitis patients have decreased BMD values at both the spine and femur. Bone mineral density at lumbar spine and femoral neck had correlation with the BMI, Bone mineral density at femoral neck had correlation with BASDAI. \r\n', u'
Ankylosing spondylitis ; Bone mineral density ; Osteoporosis ; DXA.