Active axial spondyloarthritis: potential role of certolizumab pegol.

The axial spondyloarthropathies are a group of chronic inflammatory diseases that predominantly affect the axial joints. This group includes ankylosing spondylitis and nonradiographic axial spondyloarthropathy. While the pathogenesis of axial spondyloarthropathies is not clear, immunologically active tissues primarily include the entheses, ie, the areas where ligaments, tendons, and joint capsules attach to bone and to the annulus fibrosis at the vertebrae.

Immunotherapies in rheumatologic disorders.

Over the past several decades, rheumatology has directed its focus to understanding and countering the immune dysregulation underlying autoimmune diseases with rheumatologic manifestations. Older therapies, effective though poorly understood, are being scrutinized anew and are yielding the immune-modulating mechanisms behind their efficacy. New therapies, the "biologics," are drugs tailored to address specific immune defects and imbalances.