الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the axial skeleton, the sacroiliac joints (SIJs), peripheral joints, and entheses. The etiology of AS remains unclear to some extent till now. In more advanced cases, inflammation can progress to fibrosis and calcification, which cause the spine to fuse together and lose its flexibility, giving it a bamboo appearance. Visfatin is a multifunctional protein that is expressed in a wide range of tissues. It was shown to play a role in bone homeostasis in previous studies and induces the cellular expression of many inflammatory cytokines. This study aimed to assess serum level of visfatin and its relation to disease activity in early and advanced cases of ankylosing spondylitis. This study was carried out inside Mansoura University Hospitals on twenty six patients suffering from AS, twenty six patients suffering from nr-axSPA and twenty seven healthy controls matched for age and sex with the patients. from this study, There were significant higher visfatin serum levels in AS and nr-axSPA patients compared to control group There was a positive correlation between serum level of visfatin and disease activity in both cases groups. There was a positive correlation between serum level of visfatin and and mSASSS in AS group. Visfatin may play an important pathogenic role in disease activity and severity of AS and it can be a good predictor of radiographic progression and syndesmophyte formation in patients with AS.