Effect of Age on Active and Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging Lesions in Sacroiliac Joints of Healthy Individuals and Patients With Nonspecific Back Pain
Authors' conclusion
SIJ MRI data from healthy individuals and NSBP controls did not indicate progressive increases in structural lesions with increasing age categories when standardized definitions for axSpA lesions were adopted.
Study context
- Population
- Healthy individuals and patients with nonspecific back pain (aged ≤ 45 years, referred with back pain suspicious of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA)), 3 independent cohorts3 cohorts
- Participants
- 79 / 78 / 87 / 46
- Exposure
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sacroiliac joints (SIJ) lesions across age categories (18-29, 30-39, 40-50 yrs) in healthy individuals and patients with nonspecific back pain (NSBP)
- Healthy, cohort An = 79
- Healthy, cohort Bn = 78
- NSBP, cohort An = 87
- NSBP, cohort Cn = 46
- Outcome
- Frequency of inflammatory and structural MRI lesions in the SIJ by age category
Methodological details3 independent cohorts, 2-7 central readers, standardized lesion definitions
- 3 independent cohorts
- 2-7 central readers
- Standardized lesion definitions
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Erosion in ≥ 1 SIJ quadrant
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Healthy, cohort A | Healthy, cohort B | NSBP, cohort A |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erosion in ≥ 3 SIJ quadrants (cutoff indicative of axSpA) | 0 events | 0 events | 2.3% |
Erosion in ≥ 3 SIJ quadrants (cutoff indicative of axSpA)
- Not a single individual met this cutoff in the highest age category
Fat metaplasia by age
- Slightly increased with age among healthy individuals and patients with NSBP in cohort A, but not in cohorts B or C
Original publication
Effect of Age on Active and Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging Lesions in Sacroiliac Joints of Healthy Individuals and Patients With Nonspecific Back Pain. J Rheumatol. Published 1 February 2025. doi:10.
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