Cross-sectional study on electrocardiographic disorders in patients with ankylosing spondylitis in real-world conditions

Background/Objectives: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has been associated with various comorbidities, including cardiovascular morbidity. Recent studies suggest that certain arrhythmias may be more frequent in AS patients than in the general population. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalen...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Rodríguez López, Carlos, Soler Bonafont, Bárbara, Gamarra, Álvaro, Díez Villanueva, Pablo, Jiménez Borreguero, Luis Jesús, Uriarte Ecenarro, Miren, Vicente Rabaneda, Esther F., González-Gay Mantecón, Miguel Ángel, Alfonso, Fernando, Castañeda, Santos
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2026
País:España
Recursos:Universidad de Cantabria (UC)
Repositorio:UCrea Repositorio Abierto de la Universidad de Cantabria
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:ucreareposit::846d7008e509178025d513795715cc97
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/10902/40124
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Ankylosing spondylitis
Arrhythmias
Electric heart disorders
Atrial fibrillation
Atrioventricular block
Inflammation
Descrição
Resumo:Background/Objectives: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has been associated with various comorbidities, including cardiovascular morbidity. Recent studies suggest that certain arrhythmias may be more frequent in AS patients than in the general population. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of electric heart disorders (EHD) in patients with AS in real-world conditions and compare them with those reported in the general population. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study aiming to determine the preva lence of EHD in AS in pre-COVID-19 period. EHD were analyzed in a resting ECG and 24 h Holter monitoring. Additionally, the association between clinical and demographic variables was analyzed. Results: Among 121 patients with AS (62% men; mean ± SD age 54.6 ± 15.6 years; median [IQR] disease duration 14 (8?20) years), 18.2% presented any EHD, including 9.1% with supraventricular tachyarrhythmias (SVT) (5% atrial fib rillation [AF]) and 7.4% with atrioventricular block (AVB). Clinically relevant disorders (?2nd-degree AVB or SVT) were observed in 9.9% of patients. In adjusted analyses, SVT was independently associated with older age and higher BMI, while any conduction delay andclinically relevant EHD were associated with age, hypertension, and disease-modifying antirheumatic-drug treatment duration. Comparisons with previous population-based studies showed similar data, with a non-significant trend toward higher AF prevalence in AS patients. Conclusions: There appears to be a trend toward a higher prevalence of arrhythmias in patients with AS in real-world conditions, which could have clinical and therapeutic implications. An association between EHD and pro-inflammatory con ditions such as age and BMI was observed, supporting the hypothesis that underlying inflammation might contribute to increased arrhythmogenicity.