Table 1 Baseline characteristics of SpA patients with and without TB

Chinese ethnicity

43/43 (100%)

2896/2926 (99.0%)

0.51

2939/2969 (99.0%)

Male sex

36/43 (83.7%)

1993/2926 (68.1%)

0.03

2029/2969 (69.3%)

Age (years)

43.5 ± 16.2

49.9 ± 14.6

0.01

49.8 ± 14.6

Duration of follow up (years)

12.6 ± 5.5

9.2 ± 5.9

< 0.001

9.2 ± 1.2

Radiographic sacroiliitis

34/42 (81.0%)

1906/2784 (68.5%)

0.08

1305/1707 (76.4%)

HLA-B27 status

13/16 (81.3%)

1292/1691 (76.4%)

0.65

1940/2826 (68.6%)

Smoking

19/43 (44.2%)

856/2875 (29.8%)

0.04

875/2918 (30.0%)

Alcohol use

8/43 (18.6%)

232/2875 (8.1%)

0.01

240/2918 (8.1%)

Past history of TB

9/43 (20.9%)

69/2926 (2.4%)

< 0.001

78/2969 (2.6%)

psoriasis

6/43 (14.0%)

636/2926 (21.7%)

0.22

642/2969 (21.6%)

IBD

1/43 (2.3%)

46/2926 (1.6%)

0.69

47 (2969) (1.6%)

ReA

0/43 (0.0%)

6/2926 (0.2%)

0.77

6/2969 (0.2%)

Diabetes Mellitus

4/43 (9.3%)

265/2926 (9.1%)

0.96

269/2969 (9.1%)

Chronic kidney disease

4/43 (9.3%)

183/2926 (6.3%)

0.41

187/2969 (6.3%)

Malignancy

4/43 (9.3%)

111/2926 (3.8%)

0.06

115/2969 (3.9%)

Chronic lung disease

8/43 (18.6%)

90/2926 (3.1%)

< 0.001

98/2969 (3.3%)

Chronic heart disease

4/43 (9.3%)

190/2926 (6.5%)

0.46

194/2969 (6.5%)

Cerebrovascular accident

4/43 (9.3%)

99/2926 (3.4%)

0.04

103/2969 (3.5%)

Other immunosuppressive states

1/43 (2.3%)

56/2926 (1.9%)

0.85

57/2969 (1.9%)