Ankylosing spondylitis

Question 1

What is ankylosing spondylitis?

Answer 1

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic progressive inflammatory arthropathy. Patients present with severe pain and spinal stiffness, which ultimately may lead to spinal fusion

Question 2

What are the signs and symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis?

Answer 2

> Inflammatory back pain
> Iritis/ uveitis
> Enthesitis
> Fatigue 
> Sleep disturbance
> tenderness at sacroiliac
> Dyspnoea 
> Loss of lumbar lordosis
> Peripheral joint involvement
> Kyphosis

Question 3

What are the risk factors of ankylosing spondylitis?

Answer 3

HLA-B27
ERAP1 and IL23R
FHx

Question 4

What is the epidemiology of ankylosing spondylitis?

Answer 4

The prevalence of AS correlates with that of HLA-B27 within a population. The mean AS prevalence per 10,000 people (from 36 eligible studies) has been estimated as 23.8 in Europe.

Question 5

What investigations would you do for ankylosing spondylitis?

Answer 5

Pelvic X Ray (sacroiliitis)