EpiCast Report: Ankylosing Spondylitis - Epidemiology Forecast to 2022

Wednesday 2 April 2014, Amsterdam

A systemic, chronic, and progressive inflammatory arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis is the prototype of a family of related disorders known as seronegative spondyloarthritis (SpA) and one of the most common rheumatic diseases across the globe (Sieper et al., 2002). Ankylosing spondylitis primarily affects the spine and sacroiliac (SI) joints and progresses into severe inflammation that fuses the spine, leading to permanent painful stiffness of the back. The long-term disability caused by ankylosing spondylitis has a huge socioeconomic impact with direct monetary costs to patients, families, and society (Salaffi et al., 2009). Ankylosing spondylitis is typically diagnosed in young adults, by the third decade of life, and has a seven- to nine-year delay of diagnosis (Kaipiainen-Seppänen et al., 1997). Global diagnosed prevalence of the disease ranges from 0.01%–1.40%, with higher prevalence in western European Caucasian populations (Bakland et al., 2005; Hukuda et al., 2001). The epidemiology of ankylosing spondylitis follows a specific geographic distribution mirroring the global variation in prevalence of the HLA-B27 risk allele, with an average male-to-female sex ratio of 2:1 (Dean et al., 2013).  

This report provides an overview of the risk factors, comorbidities, and global epidemiological trends for ankylosing spondylitis in the seven major markets (7MM) (US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, and Japan). The report also includes a 10-year epidemiological forecast for the diagnosed prevalent cases of ankylosing spondylitis segmented by age (≥15 years) and sex. These diagnosed prevalent cases are then further segmented by HLA-B27 seropositivity status.

The new reports epidemiologists forecast an increase in the diagnosed prevalent cases of ankylosing spondylitis in the 7MM, from 818,456 diagnosed prevalent cases in 2012 to 850,849 diagnosed prevalent cases in 2022, with an annual growth rate (AGR) of 0.40%. Throughout the forecast period, the US will have the highest number of diagnosed prevalent cases of ankylosing spondylitis, with 608,813 diagnosed prevalent cases in 2022.