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Previously referred to as Marie-Strumpells spondylitis, poker back, and rheumatoid spondylitis, ankylosing spondylitis is, no doubt, a term which few people will have heard of unless they've been diagnosed with the condition.
What is ankylosing spondylitis? There are many ways to define it. It is an autoimmune disorder, an inflammatory arthritic disorder, a rheumatic disease, and one of the various spondylarthropathies. In short, it is a condition for which there is no cure, that, left undiagnosed and untreated, can cause severe physical impairments. Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory condition that can affect various areas of the body (such as the heart, the eyes, the lungs, and kidneys) but which mainly attacks the joints of the spine and the joints between the pelvis and the spine, the sacroiliac joints. Over time, the inflammation brought on by AS can lead not only to pain and stiffness in affected areas, but can also result in ankylosis, which is the fusion or fixation of joints. Individuals with ankylosing spondylitis may suffer from stiffening of the spine and reduced mobility that impairs their ability to satisfactorily engage in normal daily activities. They may also suffer damage to non-vertebral joints and, typically, this means the hips (though the knees, ankles, and even shoulders may be affected). If the damage is severe enough, arthroplasty, or total joint replacement may be advised. Who gets ankylosing spondylitis? As much as one percent of a given population may be affected by this condition. However, men tend to develop ankylosing spondylitis at two to three times the rate of women. Ankylosing spondylitis also tends to be a younger person's illness as onset for AS after the age of forty is somewhat uncommon (ankylosing spondylitis is generally diagnosed between the middle teen years and the early thirties. Ankylosing spondylitis also seems to run in families as the probability of diagnosis increases when relatives also have the disease. With regard to genetic predisposition, the majority of individuals with ankylosing spondylitis carry the HLA-B27 gene. In the United States, while the gene may be carried by seven percent of the general population perhaps as much as ninety percent of those with AS carry the gene. However, the gene itself may only predispose an individual toward developing ankylosing spondylitis (again, to use the United States as an example, while seven percent of the population carries the gene, only one percento of the population develops ankylosing spondylitis). Ankylosing spondylitis can cause significant damage to joints and internal organs. However, if disagnosed early and if properly treated with the proper medications, the damage that results from inflammation brought on by this disorder can be minimized. Questions and Information about Ankylosing Spondylitis |
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