Abstract
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a long-term disease that affects the joints near the centre of the body, especially the spine and sacroiliac joints which is located at the lowest end of the spine where the sacrum meets the iliac bone in the pelvis. Spondy implies spine Spondylitis and “spondyloarthritis” are synonymous. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) or Spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the spine that causes pain in the back, neck, and sometimes hips and heels. However, immune mediated mechanisms involving human leukocyte antigen (HLA) -B27, inflammatory cellular infiltrates, cytokines and genetic and environmental factors play key roles. In advanced cases, the disease can cause new bone to grow and the vertebrae of the spine to fuse together which lead to kyphosis, a type of spinal curvature that results in a forward-hunching posture. New imaging techniques and therapies have substantially changed the management of this disease in the past decade. The novel treatment options with tumor necrosis factor blockers are more utility for patients. AS is thrice more prevalent in men than in women and starts most often between ages 20 and 40. It is 10 to 20 times more common among 1st - degree relatives of AS patients than in the general population. The male-to-female of AS ratio is roughly 3:1. The peak onset is in adolescents and young adults between 15 to 30 years of age this disease gets symptoms before age of 30 and chronically effects till the end of their life. Only five percent gets symptoms after age of 45 but estimates vary and the condition of AS normally begins with young adulthood up to 40 years of age. Cardiovascular involvement happens 1 in below 10 % of AS patients, generally in those with severe long-standing disease.
