Long-Term Follow-Up of Patients with Axial Spondyloarthritis in Real-Life Setting: Results from Greece of the Multi-Country Registry Proof Study

Objectives: The aim of the present analysis was to describe the clinical and demographic characteristics of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) patients from Greece who were enrolled in the global PROOF study, and their longitudinal follow-up over 5 years to determine the impact of the disease on quality of life and patient-reported outcomes. Methods: PROOF was an observational study that enrolled recently diagnosed (<1 year) patients fulfilling the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society classification criteria from rheumatology clinical practices from 29 countries across 6 different geographical regions. Results: Of the 100 Greek patients enrolled, 85 were classified based on local (investigator) evaluation of sacroiliac radiographs [AS: 56 (65.88%); nr-axSpA: 29 (34.12%)]. Higher prevalence of males in the AS (approximately 70%) and equal gender representation in the nr-axSpA patients were observed. There were variations in the clinical presentation, symptom duration, mean age at baseline, and HLA-B27 positivity between male and female patients. The majority of the patients were treated with TNF inhibitors from baseline to study end. Disease activity as well as patient-reported outcomes (functional index, quality of life, patient assessment of disease, and work productivity for employed patients) improved compared to baseline. Only 4 patients progressed to AS during the study. Conclusions: This analysis provides longitudinal data from the patients enrolled in the global PROOF study from Greece for comparative purposes. The data from the Greek cohort can highlight challenges in the management of the SpA patients.