NSAID Use Can Affect MRI Results in Patients with Axial Spondyloarthritis

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to diagnose axial spondyloarthritis. However, many patients with symptoms of axial spondyloarthritis take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and whether NSAID use affects MRI visualization of active sacroiliitis is unclear. To address this uncertainty, U.K. researchers recruited 286 patients with axial spondyloarthritis (median age, 42) from 34 centers to undergo a 2-week NSAID washout followed by an MRI. After initial MRIs, patients resumed NSAIDs, and those with sacroiliitis on their first MRIs (51%) underwent second MRIs 6 weeks later.