guidelines

spondyloarthritis in over 16s: recognition, referral & management (nice ng65)

a high-yield primary-care summary: inflammatory back pain features, extra-articular clues (uveitis/psoriasis/ibd), investigations that do not rule out disease, and referral actions per nice ng65.

last reviewed: 2026-02-13
based on: NICE NG65 (published 28 Feb 2017; last reviewed 4 Mar 2025)
reviewer: Dr Kola Tytler MBBS CertHE MBA MRCGP
view official NICE source

Primary-care actions that help

Frequently asked questions

Can normal CRP and negative HLA-B27 exclude axial spondyloarthritis?
No. NG65 emphasises that normal inflammatory markers and negative HLA-B27 do not rule out disease; referral is clinical.

Transparency

This page is an educational, clinician-written summary of publicly available NICE guidance intended for trained healthcare professionals. It uses original wording (not copied text) and should be used alongside the full NICE source, local pathways, and clinical judgement. Doses provided are for general reference; always check the BNF/SPC.