Axial spondyloarthritis contributes to a patient’s significant physical pain and mental distress. Because it is an irreversible disability, it is important for physicians to understand how to diagnose it early in patients presenting with back chronic pain.
Learning Objectives:
Primary objective -to educate non-rheumatology HCPs about clinical features that suggest the presence of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and prompt consideration of referral to rheumatologist.
1. Develop awareness of axSpA as treatable cause of back pain,
2. Recognize an inflammatory back pain pattern as a typical presentation of axSpA,
3. Identify other common clinical features of axSpA that occur outside the spine,
4. Understand appropriate testing for a patient with chronic back pain suspected of axSpA and apply criteria for referral to rheumatology,
5. Gain knowledge of basic principles of diagnosis and treatment of axSpA