Background:Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is generally uncommon in sub-Saharan Africa, in part because of the rarity of HLA-B27 in this region.Objectives:The aim of our study was to determine the epidemiological, semiological, paraclinical and therapeutic aspects of ankylosing spondylitis in rheumatology in Togo.Methods:This was a retrospective multicenter descriptive study on the files of patients suffering from ankylosing spondylitis seen in an outpatient setting or hospitalized in one of the four Rheumatology departments of Togo in the period from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2019. The diagnosis was essentially radio-clinical based on the modified New York criteria.Results:In 20 years, and out of a population of 35,304 rheumatic patients, we have collected 37 cases of ankylosing spondylitis, meaning a hospital frequency of 0.10% and an annual frequency of 1.85 cases. There was clearly a male predominance with an M / F ratio of 4.28. The onset of the disease was on average of 29.62 ± 10.27 years and the diagnosis delay on average of 9.45 ± 9.20 years. The clinic was dominated by spinal pain in the form of chronic inflammatory cervical-dorsal-lumbar pain (41.2%) or lumbar pain (29.4%). Common joint injuries were those of the knees (57.69%), ankles (26.9%) and shoulders (23.1%). The most frequent extra-articular manifestations were ocular with conjunctivitis (62.5%) and uveitis (37.5%). Due to the delayed diagnosis, significant spinal deformities including hypercyphosis, straightness and ankylosis were found; the radiography of the spine objectified syndesmophytes (50.0%) with ankyloses and the bamboo column (23.5%) and that of the pelvis objectified sacroiliitis at stage 3 (54.6%) and at stage 4 (27.3%). The HLA B27 antigen was positive in 10.8% of cases. NSAIDs and sulfasalazine were the most commonly used drugs in management, respectively in 94.3% of symptomatic treatment and 92.6% of background therapy.Conclusion:Ankylosing spondylitis is relatively rare in Togo, affecting more men and young adults. There are no clinical or paraclinical particularity. The delay in diagnosis reflects the importance of the radiological signs. Treatment is mainly done by NSAIDs and DMRADs in particular sulfasalazine, due to their accessibility.References:[1]Dean LE, Jones GT, MacDonald AG, Downham C, Sturrock RD, Macfarlane GJ. Global Prevalence of Ankylosing Spondylitis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2014;53:650-7.[2]Zabsonre TWJ, Sawadogo SA, Kabore F, Ilboudo A, Sougue C, Zongo E, et al. Ankylosing Spondylitis in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Series of 48 Cases Reported in Burkina Faso (West Africa). Open J Rheumatol Autoimmune Dis. 2018;8:87-92.[3]Mijiyawa M. Ankylosing Spondylitis in Togolese Patients. Med Trop. 1993;53:185-9.Disclosure of Interests:None declared.