[Spondyloarthritis - the novel concept. An introduction to the diagnosis and treatment of axial spondyloarthritis].

The characteristic features of spondyloarthritis are inflammation in the axial skeleton (sacroiliitis, spondylitis) and inflammation in peripheral joints (arthritis) and entheses (enthesitis). According to the leading clinical symptom SpA is today differentiated in the either predominant axial or the peripheral form. The axial SpA are further subdivided in ankylosing spondylitis and non-radiographic axial SpA. This subset is characterized by the absence of structural changes on conventional x-rays. In this review we describe the clinical symptoms, the diagnosis and therapy of patients with axial SpA.