Fracture risk in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: a population based study.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the risk of fractures among patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

METHODS

A population based cohort study compared fracture incidence in an inception cohort of 158 Rochester, Minnesota residents newly diagnosed with AS between 1935 and 1989 with expected rates from the same community.

RESULTS

In 2,398 person-years of observation, there was no increase in the risk of limb fractures, but there was a pronounced increase in the risk of thoracolumbar compression fractures (standardized morbidity ratio = 7.6; 95% CI, 4.3-12.6) among those with AS.

CONCLUSION

These data point to the importance of measures aimed at maintaining axial skeletal status in patients with AS.