1. Eye swelling, redness, pain, vision loss, and photophobia. 2.

Chronic lower back pain, soreness along back, buttocks, and thighs. 3. Fatigue 4. Nausea
1

Ankylosing Spondylitis

EARLY SYMPTOMS:

Worst Case Scenario*:

*Artist rendition of an ankylosaur

An inflammatory arthritic and autoimmune disease

PHYSIOLOGY January 2010

Spinal osteopenia or osteoporosis develops, small fractures form hump, vertebrae fuse together

A leading cause of humps and fused (bamboo) spines

DANIEL ROSS IRENEUSZ HABRYLO

LATER SYMPTOMS:

Sources used:
4 Workplace Safety and Insurance Tribunal, Ontario, Canada [http://www.wsiat.on.ca/english/mlo/arth ritis.htm] BUPA Health Information, UK [http://www.bupa.co.uk/individuals/healt h-information/directory/a/ankylosingspondylitis] Spondylitis Association of America [http://www.spondylitis.org/about/as_sy m.aspx] Images from Wikipedia Ankylosing Spondylitis [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankylosing_ spondylitis]

PROBABLE CAUSES:
A.S. is strongly associated with the genotype HLA-B27

DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENTS:

No test exists for A.S. Clinical examinations and X-rays of the spine will diagnose A.S. 10 years before the fusion of vertebrae Tomography and MRIs of the sacroiliac joints may assist in an earlier diagnosis.

Progression of A.S. over 35 years

Also correlated with Interleukin1 and Tumor Necrosis FactorAlpha genes, which regulate immune response) Interactions of HLA-B27 and antigens of the Klebsiella bacteria strain may cause A.S.*

No cure exists, but physical therapy and medication slows progress of A.S.
Pain-relieving drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs, opioid analgesics, DMARD immunosuppressants, TNFalpha blockers provide relief. Options reduced once spine begins to fuse.

Some sufferers of A.S. will show an increased concentration of C-reactive protein in the blood

*Results are circumstantial, highly contested

Joint-replacement and spinecorrecting surgery can be performed