Pulmonary involvement in ankylosing spondylitis

Abstract

This is a review of published data on pulmonary manifestations of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and a case report of 49-year old male suffering from AS with pulmonary involvement. Lung lesions are frequent extra-articular manifestations of AS. There are a variety of pulmonary manifestations in AS, including lesions of the lung parenchyma, the pleura, the airways and ventilation disorders due to sclerosis of the costovertebral joints and ankylosis of the thoracic spine. An incidence of the lung injury in AS patients has increased significantly after implementation of high-resolution computed tomography (CT). Pulmonary apical fibro-bullous changes were found in CT scans. These lesions are common targets for Aspergillus infection. In the present case, bilateral upper lobe cavitating pneumonia was diagnosed in the patient after exclusion of pulmonary tuberculosis. The patient repeatedly received prolonged antibiotic therapy. His condition deteriorated with development of chronic bilateral pulmonary cavitary aspergillosis. This clinical case demonstrates insufficient knowledge of physicians and radiologists on pulmonary involvement in AS. This leads to therapeutic mistakes and the late diagnosis of pulmonary disease.