Abstract:

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease affects predominantly the axial skeleton. The tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) inhibitors (infliximab) is a promising treatment. This study aims to evaluate the impact of infliximab on lipid profile in AS patients. An interventional study enrolled 122 AS patients who were categorized into two groups. Group A was receiving infliximab for the first time and group B were already on treatment. Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), Serum total cholesterol (TC), Low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), triglyceride (TG) levels, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks. In Group A, the BASDAI decreased significantly after 12 weeks of treatment. Serum TC and HDL level increased significantly, while there was an insignificant change in BASFI, LDL and TG serum level. Group B patients showed an insignificant change in the BASDAI, BASFI, TC, HDL, LDL and TG level between the two readings. Short term infliximab in AS was associated with an improvement in disease activity and increase in both cholesterol and HDL levels. However, the atherogenic index remained unchanged.

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