Relationship of environmental exposures and ankylosing spondylitis and spinal mobility: US NHAENS, 2009–2010

It was aimed to study the relationships of different sets of urinary environmental chemical concentrations and ankylosing spondylitis in a national and population-based setting. Data were extracted from United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 2009–2010. Information on demographics was obtained by household interview and ankylosing spondylitis clinical measures and urines were taken at examination. People with abnormal occiput-to-wall distance were found to have higher urinary cadmium (OR 2.17, 95 % CI 1.34–3.52, p = 0.004), antimony (OR 1.74, 95 % CI 1.15–2.62, p = 0.012), tungsten (OR 1.91, 95 % CI 1.39–2.64, p = 0.001), uranium (OR 1.49, 95 % CI 1.03–2.15, p = 0.036), and trimethylarsine oxide (OR 5.01, 95 % CI 2.34–10.71, p < 0.001) concentrations. Moreover, people who resided in older households tended to have abnormal ankylosing spondylitis clinical measures, compared to those who resided in households that were built in 1990 or after. The odds were 1.74 for households built in 1978–1989 and 1.81 for those built in 1940 or earlier.