Affiliations: [a] Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmaras, Turkey | [b] Department of Internal Diseases, Division of Rheumatology, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmaras, Turkey | [c] Department of Chest Diseases, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmaras, Turkey
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Uygar Utku, Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Tel.: +90 505 572 59 32; E-mail: utkuzar@gmail.com.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the cerebral blood flow velocity as a marker by using transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS: A total of 30 AS patients aged 20 to 50 were enrolled in the AS group (male/female: 4/26, mean age: 34.7 ± 5.9) consecutively. The control group (non-AS group; male/female: 4/26, mean age: 32.3 ± 4.7) consisted of 30 age- and sex-matched, randomly selected patients without AS who had other diagnoses such as fibromyalgia and did not have risk factors for atherosclerosis. Bilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA) peak-systolic, end-diastolic, and mean blood flow velocities, Gosling’s pulsatility index values, and Pourcelot’s resistance index values were recorded with TCD by a neurosonologist blinded to the AS and control groups. RESULTS: The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and cerebral blood flow velocities of bilateral MCA were significantly higher in the AS group than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights that the increased cerebral blood flow is indirectly associated with atherosclerosis regarding persistent inflammation in patients with AS.
