Prologue: 2010 Spondyloarthritis Research and Therapy Network (SPARTAN) annual research and education meeting.

The Spondyloarthritis Research and Therapy Network (SPARTAN) is a network of health care professionals who are dedicated to research, awareness and treatment of ankylosing spondylitis and related forms of spondyloarthritis (SpA). Members meet yearly to promote research, education and treatment of SpA. The SPARTAN 2010 meeting was held on July 23 to 24 in Houston, Texas. Major presentations were given on structural bone changes in SpA, the sensitivity and specificity of magnetic resonance imaging in early SpA, mycobacterial infections in this era of modern biologic therapies and findings from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys for ankylosing spondylitis, SpA and inflammatory back pain. Additional country-specific presentations on the epidemiology of SpA were provided by representatives of North America, Central America, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Mexico. These topics were all developed into separate contributions contained in this in-issue supplement and summarized herein.