Prevalence of degenerative changes and overlap with spondyloarthritis-associated lesions in the spine of patients from the DESIR cohort

OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of degenerative changes on MRI and conventional radiographs of the spine in a young population with suspicion of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and assess whether it is possible to discriminate between degenerative changes and lesions associated with axSpA. METHODS: Whole spine MRI and cervical and lumbar radiographs of patients ≥18 years with chronic back pain (≥3 months, ≤3 years, onset <50 years) were assessed for degeneration by two readers, and for SpA lesions by two other readers, all blinded for clinical information and results of the other readers. Degenerative scores were adjudicated in case of disagreement (by a third reader). Patients fulfilling and not fulfilling the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society axSpA criteria were compared for prevalence of degenerative lesions. Scores for degenerative and SpA lesions were compared, and overlap was defined as the presence of both types of lesions in a single vertebral unit (VU). RESULTS: In 456/648 (70.4%) patients (46.8% men, mean age 33.6), degenerative lesions were found with similar percentages in patients with no axSpA and with axSpA (72.4% and 69.2%, p=0.45). Modic changes were found more often in patients with no axSpA (29/239, 12.1%) versus patients with axSpA (19/409, 4.6%, p=0.01). Other lesions were evenly distributed. Overlap was minimal in 19 patients (3.0%) and 32/14 674 (0.2%) VUs for SpA reader 1 and in 23 patients (3.6%) and 34/14 674 VUs (0.2%) for SpA reader 2. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of degeneration is high in an early inflammatory back pain cohort. Discrimination between degeneration and axSpA lesions is very well possible with little overlap between degenerative and axSpA readings.