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A Prospective Clinical Investigation Of The Effects Of Anti-Tnf Alpha Therapy On Exercise Capacity In Patients With Ankylosing Spondylitis, Erhan Çapkin, Seyhan Bi̇lge Keski̇n, Murat Karkucak, Ahmet Ayar

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible effects of anti-TNF alpha therapy on cardiorespiratory fitness and physical functional capacity of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Materials and methods: Twenty-eight AS patients meeting the modified New York criteria with active disease state and an equivalent number of healthy individuals as the control were prospectively enrolled. Physical working capacity and aerobic exercise capacity of the participants were determined by using cardiopulmonary exercise tests, performed before and 4 months after initiation of anti-TNF alpha therapy. Results: The mean age of the patients was 37 ± 9.1 years, and mean duration of …