ANKYLOSING-SPONDYLITIS AND INFECTIONS OF THE FEMALE UROGENITAL TRACT

Thirty-two female patients with confirmed ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and 33 women of similar age with pure ileitis terminalis Crohn were ex amined for genitourinary infection. Urethral syndrome was found in 15 out of 32 patients with AS: 11 of them had urethritis and 4 urethritis associated with vaginitis. Five women of the control group suffered f rom urethritis. In all cases with genitourinary infection, Chlamydia t rachomatis was isolated. By comparing the AS-patients (urogenital infe ction group and the non-infected group) with regard to other present c linical parameters, it was found, as expected, that the erythrocyte se dimentation rate in the Ist hour was significantly higher in the infec ted group. In addition, the infected patients had a significantly high er incidence of enthesopathy, involvement of the spinal column, and hi gher C-reactive protein values (CRP greater than or equal to 5 mg/l). A family history of AS was equally present. Other clinical parameters, such as inflammatory involvement of the joints and HLA-B27 correlatio n, did not differ significantly between infected and non-infected pati ents.