Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a systemic arthritis that attacks the patient’s spine.
In most cases, AS starts with lower back pain that is present every day for at least three months. The pain generally improves with movement and is associated with morning stiffness. AS is found in 0.1% to 0.5% of the adult population. Patients usually start to develop the symptoms of AS in their late teens and twenties, but it can present itself at any age.
Diagnosing AS is very difficult.
On average, it takes physicians between eight and nine years to properly diagnose AS. Most sufferers go through a potpourri of physicians and specialists before the correct diagnoses is made. The main reasons why AS is so hard to diagnose are 1) It can take seven to 10 years before the back pain causes enough damage to be seen on X-ray, 2) The blood tests that are used to diagnose AS are not always accurate, and 3) The MRI exam may not pick up the disease if the wrong part of the spine is scanned. To improve accuracy of the MRI the right joints, the sacroiliac joints, need to be the area of focus.
Your sore feet might be telling you something.
In addition to the back pain AS patients suffer, they may also develop enthesitis as a part of AS. Enthesitis is a specific type of inflammation that targets the point at which the ligament connects to the bone. AS can cause inflammation at the point where the plantar fascia ligament connects to the sole of the foot, thus causing plantar fasciitis. AS can also cause achilles tendonitis which is inflammation of the achilles tendon.
Your chest might be hurting.
AS sufferers may also have a painful chest thanks to Costochondritis. Costochondritis is inflammation of the cartilage that attaches the ribs to the breastbone or sternum. It’s a very painful condition that makes breathing and sleep more difficult and painful.
You may have red and painful eyes.
Up to 25% of AS patients my develop uveitis, an acute inflammation of the eye. An AS patient that has an eye that is red and painful should be assessed by an opthalmologist as uveitis can be an urgent symptom needing prompt attention.
Early diagnosis is the key.
One of the keys to helping AS patients retain functionality and minimize damage to the spine and other joints is early diagnosis.
