Objectives: This study aims to update 2011 Turkish League Against Rheumatism SpondyloArthritis Recommendations, and to compose a national expert opinion on management of axial spondyloarthritis under guidance of current guidelines, and implantation and dissemination of these international guidelines into our clinical practice.
Materials and methods: A scientific committee of 28 experts consisting of 14 rheumatologists and 14 physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists (one of them also has an immunology PhD) was formed. The recommendations, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses including pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment were scrutinized paying special attention with convenient key words. The draft of Turkish League Against Rheumatism opinion whose roof consisted of international treatment recommendations, particularly the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society/European League Against Rheumatism recommendations was composed. Assessment of level of agreement with opinions by task force members was established through the Delphi technique. Voting using a numerical rating scale assessed the strength of each recommendation.
Results: Panel compromised on five basic principles and 13 recommendations including pharmacological and nonpharmacological methods. All of the recommendations had adequate strength.
Conclusion: Turkish League Against Rheumatism expert opinion for the management of axial spondyloArthritis was developed based on scientific evidence. These recommendations will be updated regularly in accordance with current developments.
C1 [Bodur, Hatice; Nas, Kemal] Yildirim Beyazit Univ, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Sch Med, Ankara, Turkey.
[Yurdakul, Fatma Gul; Garip, Yesim] SBU Ankara Numune Training & Res Hosp, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Ankara, Turkey.
[Ataman, Sebnem; Sunar, Ismihan; Yilmaz, Gurkan] Ankara Univ, Div Rheumatol, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Sch Med, Ankara, Turkey.
[Nas, Kemal] Sakarya Univ, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Sch Med, Sakarya, Turkey.
[Ayhan, Fikriye Figen] Usak Univ, Sch Hlth Sci, Dept Phys Therapy & Rehabil, Usak, Turkey.
[Ayhan, Fikriye Figen] Ankara Numune Training & Res Hosp, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Ankara, Turkey.
[Akgul, Ozgur] Celal Bayar Univ, Div Rheumatol, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Sch Med, Manisa, Turkey.
[Akinci, Aysen] Hacettepe Univ, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Sch Med, Ankara, Turkey.
[Altay, Zuhal] Inonu Univ, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Sch Med, Malatya, Turkey.
[Birtane, Murat] Trakya Univ, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Sch Med, Edirne, Turkey.
[Soy Bugdayci, Derya] SBU Istanbul Training & Res Hosp, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Capkin, Erhan] Karadeniz Tech Univ, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Sch Med, Trabzon, Turkey.
[Cevik, Remzi] Dicle Univ, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Sch Med, Diyarbakir, Turkey.
[Duruoz, Tuncay] Marmara Univ, Sch Med, Div Rheumatol, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Gurer, Gulcan] Adnan Menderes Univ, Sch Med, Div Rheumatol, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Aydin, Turkey.
[Kacar, Cahit] Akdeniz Univ, Sch Med, Div Rheumatol, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Antalya, Turkey.
[Kamanli, Ayhan] Sakarya Univ, Sch Med, Div Rheumatol, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Sakarya, Turkey.
[Kaptanoglu, Ece] Sivas Cumhuriyet Univ, Sch Med, Div Rheumatol, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Sivas, Turkey.
[Kaya, Taciser] SBU Izmir Bozyaka Training & Res Hosp, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Izmir, Turkey.
[Kocabas, Hilal] Necmettin Erbakan Univ, Div Rheumatol, Meram Sch Med, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Konya, Turkey.
[Kuru, Omer] Ondokuz Mayis Univ, Div Rheumatol, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Sch Med, Samsun, Turkey.
[Melikoglu, Meltem Alkan] Ataturk Univ, Sch Med, Div Rheumatol, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Erzurum, Turkey.
[Ozdemirel, Erhan] SBU Diskapi Yildirim Beyazit Training & Res Hosp, Dept Rheumatol, Ankara, Turkey.
[Ozel, Sumru] Hitit Univ, Sch Med, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Corum, Turkey.
[Rezvani, Aylin] Bezmialem Univ, Sch Med, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Istanbul, Turkey.
[Sezer, Ilhan] SBU Antalya Training & Res Hosp, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Antalya, Turkey.