Navigating Advancements in Diagnosis & Treatment of Axial Spondyloarthritis

Target Audience
This activity is intended for rheumatologists, primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other healthcare providers who diagnose and manage patients with axial spondyloarthritis.

Statement of Need/Program Overview
More than 80% of the population has significant back pain at some point in their life, with 30% of adults in the United States stating they have chronic low back pain at any given time; 5% of whom have inflammatory back pain. Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) affects almost 1.5% of patients with inflammatory back pain; however, the majority of individuals suffering with back pain are not being treated by a rheumatologist, which only exacerbates the challenge to diagnose those with axSpA. Dr. Leonard Calabrese discusses both radiographic and nonradiographic ankylosing spondylitis in detail, differentiating their diagnostic properties and how to properly treat and manage patients with this inflammatory disease that affects daily function and quality of life. Dr. Calabrese emphasizes appropriate testing and imaging with use of ASAS guidelines to provide an accurate diagnosis, while sharing case examples through disease progression and treatment selection.

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be better able to:

Diagnose ankylosing spondylitis (AS) using ASAS guidelines
Diagnose nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-AxSpA) using ASAS guidelines
Utilize validated tools to assess AxSpA disease burden and response to treatment
Summarize the safety and efficacy of biologic treatments for AxSpA
Utilize a treat-to-target approach with individualized evidence-based therapy to reduce symptom burden and, when possible, achieve disease remission/low disease activity