POS0515 AXIAL SPONDYLOARTHRITIS DISEASE ACTIVITY DURING PREGNANCY: RETROSPECTIVE UK DATA
Authors: M. Mouyis, B. Farisogullari, J. Hamilton, Z. Clark, D. Webb, H. Marzo-Ortega, P. Machado
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2024)

<h3>Background:</h3> Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) affects women of childbearing age and is associated with an increased prevalence of pregnancy complications. There are limited UK data available on women with axSpA during pregnancy. Retrospective data of disease activity in axSpA suggests that approximately one-third of patients remain in remission, one-third show improvement, and one-third experience a flare. The most common risk factor for flare was active disease at conception. A systematic meta-analysis analysing peri-pregnancy disease activity scores reported rates of 40% improvement in pregnancy and 90% flare in the post-partum period. <h3>Objectives:</h3> To assess disease activity during pregnancy in women with axSpa in the UK. <h3>Methods:</h3> An online patient survey was launched for women in the UK with axSpA who are or have been pregnant, using RedCAP, a secure web application for building and managing online surveys and databases. The project was approved by University College London (UCL) research ethics committee and endorsed by the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society (NASS) and British Society for Spondyloarthritis (BRITSpA). Patient recruitment took place through the NASS website, social media platforms and email. The survey collected anonymous data over a 6-month period. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed using SPSS. The entry criteria comprised a diagnosis of axSpA and a history of pregnancy, whether current or past. Flares were determined based on self-reports from women with axSpA. <h3>Results:</h3> Out of 184 respondents, 177 questionnaires were sufficiently complete for analysis. Analyses were conducted based on respondents per question, with missing data excluded. The total number of women diagnosed with axSpA before pregnancy was 71 out of 177 (57%). In Table 1, we describe the demographics and characteristics of all respondents. The overall rate of self-reported flare was 41% during pregnancy (N=53), and 50% in the post-partum period (N=50). Table 2 summarises disease activity in each trimester based on spinal VAS; regrettably, only 25 respondents answered this question for the three trimesters. <h3>Conclusion:</h3> Axial spondyloarthritis disease activity during pregnancy in the UK appears to be comparable to that reported in the literature, with approximately two-fifths of patients experiencing flares during pregnancy, and half of the patients reporting flares in the post-partum period. The data is retrospective, acknowledged as a limitation. This is the first survey in the UK to explore such data and further prospective studies are needed. <h3>REFERENCES:</h3> <b>NIL.</b> <h3>Acknowledgements:</h3> <b>NIL.</b> <h3>Disclosure of Interests:</h3> Maria Mouyis UCB, Bayram Farisogullari: None declared, Jill Hamilton: None declared, Zoe Clark: None declared, Dale Webb: None declared, Helena Marzo-Ortega: None declared, Pedro Machado PMM has received consulting/speaker's fees from Abbvie, BMS, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Janssen, MSD, Novartis, Orphazyme, Pfizer, Roche and UCB.