Ankylosing Spondylitis

Clinic

• AS is a type of arthritis characterized by long-term inflammation of Spine and Pelvic joints
• AS is a systemic rheumatic disease, meaning it affects the entire body.
• Occasionally areas affected may include other joints such as the shoulders or hips, eye and bowel problems may occur as well as back pain.
• Joint mobility in the affected areas generally worsens over time.
• Causation is unknown
• There is no known cure for it

Signs and symptoms

• Signs and symptoms often appear gradually, with peak onset between 20 -30 years of age.
• Initial symptoms are
  • Chronic dull Pain / Stiffness in the lower back or gluteal region, agg in morning
  • Progressive loss of spinal mobility and chest expansion
  • Weight loss, fever, or fatigue
  • Pain is often severe at rest and improve with physical activity.
  • Hips / Shoulders / Knees / Ankles / Feet / Heel Arthritis
  • Less commonly ectasia of sacral nerve root sheaths.

Extra Sign/ Symptoms

• Anterior uveitis causing eye pain, redness, and blurred vision. (About 30%)
• Aortic valve inflammation
• Lung fibrosis

Miasms

• MTB