Cortes-Rodríguez, AntonioAlves-Gomes, LisaLosa-Iglesias, Marta ElenaGómez-Salgado, JuanBecerro-de-Bengoa-Vallejo, RicardoSaavedra-García, Miguel ÁngelMontiel-Luque, AlonsoLópez-López, DanielJiménez-Cebrián, Ana María2024-11-122024-11-122024-04-26Cortes-Rodríguez A, Alves-Gomes L, Losa-Iglesias ME, Gómez-Salgado J, Becerro-de-Bengoa-Vallejo R, Saavedra-García MÁ, Montiel-Luque A, López-López D and Jiménez-Cebrián AM (2024) Impact of ankylosing spondylitis on foot health and quality of life: an observational case–control study. Front. Med. 11:1355803. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.13558032296-858X (online)https://hdl.handle.net/10115/41464Background: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic, inflammatory, and autoimmune disease. This condition primarily affects the axial skeleton and presents direct foot involvement, such as Achilles enthesitis or plantar fascia involvement. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of foot health on the quality of life of individuals with AS compared to a control group without AS. Materials and methods: A sample of 112 subjects was recruited, with a mean age of 46.80 ± 10.49 years, divided into two groups: 56 individuals with AS (cases) and 56 individuals without AS (controls). Demographic data were collected, and the scores obtained in the Foot Health Status Questionnaire domains were recorded. Results: Of the participants, 27.79% (N = 30) were men and 73.21% (N = 82) were women. The mean age in the group was 46.80 ± 10.49. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in the domains of foot function, foot pain, footwear, overall foot health, general health-related physical activity, and social capacity between the AS group and the control group. Conclusion: Individuals with AS exhibited a decreased quality of life, as indicated by their Foot Health Status Questionnaire scores. Keywords: ankylosing spondylitis; foot; foot deformities; foot diseases; quality of life.engAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/article10.3389/fmed.2024.1355803info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess