In the current study, CRP levels and ESR values significantly
decreased in patients taking etanercept, which may be
indicative of disease modification, not just symptomatic relief
of AS.45–48 Spinal mobility, as measured by Schober’s test,
significantly improved in etanercept treated patients, which
suggests that damage caused by AS may not be permanent.
The lack of significant between-group differences in chest
expansion and occiput to wall distances at the end of
treatment may be due to the short duration of the study and/
or the relatively small number of patients enrolled. In the
24 week study mentioned earlier, which enrolled more
patients, all three spinal mobility measures significantly
improved with etanercept treatment.35 Owing to the short
duration of this trial, the impressive therapeutic results must
interpreted with some caution. None the less, the relative
ineffectiveness of current treatments such as DMARDs and