THE EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND CLINICAL FEATURES OF AXIAL SPONDYLOARTHRITIS AT THE EUROPEAN CONGRESS OF RHEUMATOLOGY 2015

The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Congress (EULAR-15) was held in Rome on 10–13 June 2015. One of the most important aspects of the Congress was the problem of spondyloarthritis (SpA). Reports on the pathogenesis of SpA, including a relationship between the inflammatory processes and the mechanisms of bone proliferation, occupied a prominent place in the program of the Congress. The fundamental importance of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 17 (IL17)/IL23, for SpA was the subject of wide speculation. As in previous years, many reports were dedicated to the early diagnosis of SpA, the comparison of different SpA classification criteria, and the progression of non-radiographic axial SpA to ankylosing spondylitis. Much time was devoted to the results of the latest studies visualizing sacroiliitis and spondylitis.