Key result
Axial spondyloarthritis is linked to increased prevalence of AV block and AF via chronic inflammation.
Why the study?
The relationship between axial spondyloarthritis and arrhythmic risk, including the impact of systemic inflammation and anti-inflammatory treatments, requires further elucidation.
Axial spondyloarthritis carries an increased risk of AV block and atrial fibrillation driven by chronic inflammation, highlighting the need for arrhythmia screening and optimal inflammatory control.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May warrant arrhythmia monitoring in axial spondyloarthritis; leaves open whether inflammation control reduces risks in prospective studies.
Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder affecting the axial skeleton and potentially the peripheral joints as well as extraskeletal tissues. Chronic systemic inflammation is also known to play a major role in the pathogenesis of conduction disturbances and arrhythmias, through chronic fibrotic scarring and cytokine-mediated delay of atrioventricular (AV) conduction as well as atrial remodelling. More specifically, the prevalence of AV block appears to be high, resulting in an increased risk for pacemaker implantation. Furthermore, axSpA is associated with an increased prevalence of atrial fibrillation, even when adjusting for other cardiovascular risk predictors. As the development of arrhythmia in axSpA appears to be associated with disease activity, controlling the systemic inflammation could potentially offer a viable addition to conventional antiarrhythmic treatment. However, the possible proarrhythmic effects of conventional and newer anti-inflammatory drugs in patients with axSpA need to be further elucidated in the future.
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Bismpos et al. (2026) conducted a review in Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Axial spondyloarthritis vs. General population was evaluated. Axial spondyloarthritis is associated with an increased prevalence of atrioventricular block and atrial fibrillation, likely mediated by chronic systemic inflammation.
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