Ankylosing spondylitis is a systemic disease, which means symptoms may not be limited to the joints. People with the condition also may have fever, fatigue and weight loss. Eye inflammation (redness and pain) occurs in some people with spondylitis. In rare cases, lung and heart problems also may develop. Some people also have pain, stiffness and swelling in their hips, knees or ankles.

It describes fusion of bones. The spine’s bones (vertebrae) fuse together, resulting in a rigid spine like bamboo. Spondylitis: It is a broad term that describes inflammation (swelling and redness) in the joints of spine. Please note spondylosis is completely different term which means wear and tear in spine. AS is a type of arthritis that mainly affects the spine. Other joints and other parts of the body are sometimes affected. AS is a disease of young adults.

Back pain The main symptom is pain in the lower back. You may have pain over your buttocks and back of your thighs. Rest does not make it better. Instead, exercise and movement usually ease the pain. The pain tends to be worse first thing in the morning.

Ankylosing spondylitis affects about 1 in 1000 of the adult population. AS most commonly begins between 15 and 25 years of age, but sometimes it occurs in children and older adults. It is three times more common in men than in women. There may be a family history with two or more members of a family being affected.

You did nothing wrong to get AS. It is an auto-immune disease. It refers to abnormal functioning of body’s immune system. For no apparent reason, the system starts overacting and mistakenly starts attacking body’s own normal tissues causing inflammation (swelling) of the joints. If untreated the joints can get permanently damaged. There is a strong genetic or family link. Most, but not all, people with spondylitis carry a gene called HLA-B27. Although people carrying this gene are more likely to develop spondylitis, it is also found in up to 8% of normal population who have no signs of the condition. Having this gene doesn’t mean you’ll definitely get AS

There have been significant advances in treating AS, especially for patients whose disease does not respond to traditional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) like sulfasalzine. The most important advance has been the development of a group of drugs called biologics. This group of medications are called biologics because they are derived from living organisms or produced by biotechnology methods. They differ significantly from traditional drugs used to treat RA. Biological drugs target specific components of the immune system instead of broadly affecting many areas of the immune system. Some biological therapies are called anti-TNF drugs. They target a protein called Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF), which increases inflammation when excess amounts are present in the body. Other biological therapies target different proteins. The newer, second-generation biologics have come to market only in the past 10 to 15 years or so. Other names for biologic therapies include: biologic agents, biologics, biological response modifiers or immunotherapy. Biologics have been shown to help slow progression of AS when all other treatments have failed. Biologics do not reverse existing damage, but can protect the joints against continued damage. Biologics have revolutionized the treatment of various other diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, SLE (lupus) etc.