Baseline VEGF levels in the current study were similar to those previously reported for patients with early rheumatoid arthritis42 but were higher than those of other patients with spondyloarthropathies.4 In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, IL-6 has been shown to be a key cytokine in the production of VEGF,43 and VEGF may, in turn, stimulate the production of IL-6 and TNF-α in a positive feedback loop.44 Our results suggest that similar relationships between IL-6 and VEGF may play a part in the inflammation exhibited by some patients with AS. This evidence concerns the gene IL6 and rheumatoid arthritis.