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HLAB27.COM©
ASIM: Ankylosing Spondylitis Information Matrix ©
Ankylosing Spondylitis International Movement ©
Copyright
2005 HLAB27.COM
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide information on ankylosing spondylitis to patients and their families as well as to the health care providers.
Asim also happens to be is the middle name of the chief consultant for this website, Professor Muhammad Asim Khan, MD.
Ankylosing spondylitis (or AS for short) is a chronic, inflammatory
rheumatic disease that primarily affects the sacroiliac joints (sacroilitis)
and spine (spondylitis). The name is derived from Greek roots angkylos =
”bent” (although the word ankylosis now means joint stiffening or fusion) and
spondylos = ”spinal vertebra”.
Unfortunately, most patients with AS and SpA (Spondyloarthropathy) are either never diagnosed, or they are inadequately treated. The current mean delay in the diagnosis of AS ranges from 5 to 10 years, and the presenting clinical manifestations of these diseases are wide-ranging and heterogeneous, and thus a variety of health care professionals see AS and SpA patients, from primary care physicians to rheumatologists and other medical and surgical specialists.
With the availability of newer, highly effective treatments and better methods of musculoskeletal imaging, such as the MRI, there is an urgent need to improve early diagnosis and reduce any inappropriate delay in obtaining effective treatment. Earlier diagnosis and treatment can mitigate the severity of the disease, and make a meaningful difference for patient care and quality of life.
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Definition:
· A chronic,
systemic inflammatory rheumatic disorder with the predilection for spinal
column involvement and inflammation at sites where the tendons and ligaments
attach to the bones (enthesitis).
·
Sacroilitis is its hallmark.
· It has
a strong genetic predisposition highlighted by it’s association with a normal
gene called HLA-B27, that is present in a small percentage of the general
population. More information on HLA-B27.
Clinical features:
· Chronic
inflammatory low back pain and stiffness
· Limitation
of spinal mobility and chest expansion
· Acute
anterior uveitis (eye inflammation) or other less common extra-articular
(other-than-joint) manifastions in some patients.
·
Characteristic X-ray findings include (sacroilitis and spondylitis)
· Association
with psoriasis, chronic inflammatory bowel disease in some patients
·
Generally good symptomatic relief with non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs).
Prevalence:
Prevalence of ankylosing spondilitis and related spondyloarthropathies in the USA among adults age 25 or older is 1.3%, which indicates up to 2.4 million affected individuals, according to the recent updated estimate by the National Arthritis Data Workgroup.
Below is the Link for Helmick CG, Felson DT, Lawrence RC et al 2008 paper; the access to this paper is free.
Helmick CG et al. Estimates of the prevalence of arthritis and other rheumatic conditions in the United States. Part I. Arthritis Rheum 2008, 58: 15-25.
More information:
Books:
Ankylosing
Spondylitis: The Facts*
PHYSICIANS ONLY BASDAI and BASFI Test
Medical
Disclaimer: The information posted on this website is not meant to take the
place of medical advice from your personal physician or health care
professional. We encourage users of our website to discuss all medical questions
with their personal physician or specialist, and prior to initiating any
change of treatment, medication, or therapy. We also encourage the viewers to
discuss these questions with a rheumatologist if they have not done so in the
past. We have provided a link to assist you
in finding a rheumatologist in your area if your primary care physician is
unable to recommend one.
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