Brief description of Ankylosing Spondylitis. For more information go to www.joinedagainst.org

1. Ankylosing Spondylitis
Presented by
Christopher Beckman
Program Director, Athletes Joined
Against Spondylitis

2. Basic • A non-rheumatoid
inflammatory arthritis in
Overview which the joints of the
spine, particularly the
lower back, become
inflamed and painful
• Inflammation causes new
bone to grow
• Fuses the vertebrae
together
• Restricts flexibility and
movement.
• Ankylosis means
"fusion," and spondyl
means "vertebra."

3. Overview • Ankylosing spondylitis
affects the sacroiliac
Contd joints (where the spine
joins the pelvis)
• Can progress to involving
the joints where the ribs
attach to the spine and
many other organs as well

4. • Lower back and hip pain
Symptoms and stiffness that persists
for three or more months
• Pain and stiffness in
morning
• Gets better after exercise,
worse after rest
• Fatigue, fever and loss of
appetite and weight

5. Symptoms • About 1 in 4 people get
Contd inflammation of the eye,
or iritis
• Swollen joints; this
symptom is
indistinguishable from
rheumatoid arthritis

6. Demographics
• Mainly afflicts men between the ages of 14
and 35

7. • There is no cure
Treatment • Medication helps to
relieve pain and stiffness
• Surgery is sometimes
done but still doesn’t
cure it, it just restores
movement to the joints

8. • No test to positively
Diagnosis diagnose it
• Doctor tests for spinal
inflammation and the
presence of HLA-B27
which are major signs of
AS

9. • Typically NSAIDs (non-
Medication steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs) and TNFs (Tumor
Necrosis Factor)
• Most effective is
Indomethacin
• Another drug is
Sulphasalazine
(Salazopyrin)
• NSAIDs control disease
activity
• Most medications are very
expensive

10. • AS can progress to
Complications involve the ribs, which
can make it difficult to
breath
• Smoking increases AS
severity 400%
• Works in tandem with rib
fusion to severely restrict
breathing which can
ultimately lead to death
due to lack of oxygen