Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of inflammatory arthritis. Fibromyalgia is a disease of widespread musculoskeletal pain that is thought to related to be how the brain processes pain.
Ankylosing Spondylitis-Fibromyalgia Connection Risks
A 2021 study found that people with AS have a higher risk for fibromyalgia, especially after age 65. 5 It also noted that awareness of this connection could impact decisions about diagnosis, disease severity evaluations, and treatments.
Ankylosing spondylitis is an autoimmune disease and is a type of arthritis of the spine. It causes swelling between your vertebrae, which are the disks that make up your spine, and in the joints between your spine and pelvis. The disease is more common and more severe in men. It often runs in families.
Ankylosing spondylitis, also known as axial spondyloarthritis, is an inflammatory disease that, over time, can cause some of the bones in the spine, called vertebrae, to fuse. This fusing makes the spine less flexible and can result in a hunched posture.
People with Ankylosing Spondylitis often describe an ongoing, dull pain that feels like it's coming from deep within their lower back or buttocks, along with morning stiffness. It is not unusual for symptoms to worsen, get better or stop completely at regular intervals.
In 2009, two new classification terms were introduced: axial spondyloarthritis (axial SpA) and peripheral spondyloarthritis (peripheral SpA). The new terms do not replace the traditional, specific spondyloarthritis diagnoses (e.g. ankylosing spondylitis).
Over time this can damage the spine and lead to the growth of new bone. In some cases this can cause parts of the spine to join up (fuse) and lose flexibility (ankylosis). It's not known exactly what causes AS, but in many cases there seems to be a link with a particular gene variant known as HLA-B27.
Ankylosing spondylitis may affect more than the spine. The disease may inflame joints in the pelvis, shoulders, hips and knees, and between the spine and ribs.
At this time, no single test diagnoses ankylosing spondylitis. Your doctor may order a blood test to check for the HLA-B27 gene, which is present in most people with the disease. You may have the HLA-B27 gene and never develop ankylosing spondylitis, but it can give doctors more information when making a diagnosis.
Background: Although ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is primarily a disease of the spine and the large joints, it may also have extra-articular involvement. There are limited cases of AS patients developing multiple sclerosis (MS).
Fibromyalgia often co-occurs with other types of arthritis such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and ankylosing spondylitis.
Most people develop symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis before age 45. However, some people develop the disease when they are children or teens. Other conditions. People who have Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or psoriasis may be more likely to develop the disease.
Age of disease onset usually peaks in the second and third decades of life. Approximately 80% of patients with AS experience symptoms at ≤ 30 years of age, while only 5% will present with symptoms at ≥ 45 years of age.
It is a rare disease, there is no cure, and you will end up in a wheelchair.
The newer spondylitis classification system categorizes spondylitis into two main types according to where in the body the disease occurs. The two types are peripheral spondyloarthritis and axial spondyloarthritis.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis. It causes pain and stiffness, mainly in your spine. But it can also cause eye inflammation called uveitis. Left untreated, uveitis can harm your vision and, in some cases, lead to blindness.
More than 90% of people with ankylosing spondylitis have a particular genetic marker called HLA-B27, which can be found on their white blood cells. This marker does not appear to be the only cause, however, as 80% of people with this genetic marker never develop an inflammatory disease.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an inflammatory condition that primarily causes back pain from damage to the spinal joints. AS can spread to other joints too—most commonly, the hips. 1 However, it can also affect the knees and ankles, leading to leg pain.