Evidence and rationale. Self-management education interventions in AS were tested in 5 controlled trials, with generally small but significant improvements in measures of disease activity and health status. Source: ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATOLOGY, DOI 10.1002/ART.39298, VC 2015, AMERICAN COLLEGE OF RHEUMATOLOGY…
Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis that affects the spine. Ankylosing spondylitis symptoms include pain and stiffness from the neck down to the lower back. The spine's bones (vertebrae) may grow or fuse together, resulting in a rigid spine.…
The HLA-B27 molecule is one of the most fascinating in medicine. Its contribution to the aetiopathogenesis of SpA and other diseases, and its protective action in certain infections, continue to challenge our understanding of its immunobiology and physiological roles. Animal…
Basics of Ankylosing Spondylitis
Almost all people with ankylosing spondylitis can expect to lead normal and productive lives. Despite the chronic nature of the illness, only a few people with ankylosing spondylitis will become severely disabled. The management of pain and the control of…
Thirty years after its discovery, the association between HLA-B27 and ankylosing spondylitis remains the strongest known relationship between a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigen and a disease. Epidemiological studies in the 1960s and early 1970s identified close links between several…
The most frequent manifestation is back pain, but disease can begin in peripheral joints, especially in children and women, and rarely with acute iridocyclitis (iritis or anterior uveitis). Other early symptoms and signs are diminished chest expansion from diffuse costovertebral…
Leaky Gut Syndromes: Breaking The Vicious Cycle
From the perspective of function, the contents of the gut lumen lie outside the body and contain a toxic/antigenic load from which the body needs to be protected. Protection is supplied by complex mechanisms which support one another: intestinal secretions…
History: Individuals typically complain of a gradual onset of low back pain and associated muscle spasms experienced over several months. The pain is usually described as worse in the morning and improving during the day. It may have followed a…
Is Ankylosing Spondylitis Hereditary?
Although ankylosing spondylitis causes are unknown, there appears to be a genetic prevalence to the disease (transmitted from parents to children) for most people. Many children with this disease were born displaying a given HLA-B27 gene. However, if the gene…
