Investigation of Central Sensitization Frequency and Related Factors in Axial Spondyloarthritis Patients

The term axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) describes a group of chronic inflammatory diseases that characterized with spinal involvement. AxSpA is one of the most common rheumatic diseases and chronic pain and morning stiffness are the main complaints of these patients. Central sensitization is defined as increased response to normal or sub-threshold stimuli of central nervous system and its close relationship with many rheumatological diseases has been demonstrated in several studies. Pain in axSpA patients is generally considered as a result of increased inflammatory burden and structural changes, However, failure to adequate analgesia in every patient whose inflammation is suppressed with anti-inflammatory treatment suggests new pain mechanisms. Central sensitization (CS) is one of these mechanisms and its recognition is only possible by detailed evaluation of the patient. There is no method for the diagnosis of central sensitization is accepted as a gold standard. clinical scales and quantitative sensory testing (QST) widely is used for this purpose widely. The most commonly used QST types include pressure pain threshold (PPT), temporal summation (TS) and conditioned pain modulation (CPM). The well-known scale used for the evaluation of central sensitization is the Central Sensitization Inventory , developed by Mayer et.al in 2011 for detect central sensitization in chronic pain patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the frequency of central sensitization (CS) in patients with axSpA by means of clinical scales and quantitative sensory testing (QST), to examine related comorbidities and the parameters associated with the development of sensitization in these patients.