Raouf Merza - Sulaimani Medical School, University of Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Lawen Mustafa - Ministry of Health, Sulaimani, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Background: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic, progressive, and disabling disease among rheumatological diseases.Objectives: Current study aimed to investigate the Time lag between the onset of symptoms and final diagnosis of AS, and also identify the factors that contribute to that delay in Sulaymaniyah province.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, ۱۰۴ (AS) patients who satisfied the modified New York ۱۹۸۴ criteria were enlisted. The time lag was defined as the diagnosis delay (DD) between the appearance of the first symptoms and the correct diagnosis of AS. Spearman correlation analysis was used to detect correlations between variables.Results: The higher percentage of variables with DD ≥ ۶ years were urban ۳۲ (۷۴.۴%), housewife ۱۵(۳۴.۹%), had no family history ۴۲ (۹۷.۷%), with high diploma ۳۳ (۷۶.۷%), and positive HLAB۲۷ ۳۱ (۷۲.۱%), the first specialist consulted orthopedics ۲۱(۴۸.۸%) then GP ۶ (۱۴.۹). Moreover, the higher percentage of variables with DD < ۶ years were diagnosis years between ۲۰۰۰ to ۲۰۲۰, rural ۵۵ (۹۰.۲), ۳۹ (۶۳.۹%) respectively, higher education ۴۷ (۷۷%), employee and worker ۲۲ (۳۶.۱%), positive family history ۴۴ (۷۲.۱%), positive human leukocyte antigen (HLAB۲۷-۶۱) (۱۰۰%), inflammatory back pain ۴۷ (۷۷%), rheumatologist ۲۹ (۴۷.۵%). The average year’s DD is ۶.۴۸. A statistically significant positive correlation was detected between the DD and age, age at diagnosis but, a negative correlation was found between the DD time and, age at symptom onset.Conclusion: The Time lag between the onset of symptoms of AS and the final diagnosis in Sulaymaniyah was ۶.۴۸ years. (HLA-B۲۷), age, age at diagnosis, education level, occupation, ۱st specialist, ۱st symptom at onset of disease and family history are the factors that affect delayed diagnosis in Sulaymaniyah patients with AS.

ankylosing spondylitis, Delay diagnosis, rheumatology, spondyloarthritis