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.
Symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis vary from person to person. Some people have mild episodes of pain that come and go, while others will have chronic, severe pain. The symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis, whether mild or severe, may worsen in “flares” and improve during periods of remission.
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.
Early symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis might include back pain and stiffness in the lower back and hips, especially in the morning and after periods of inactivity. Neck pain and fatigue also are common. Over time, symptoms might worsen, improve or stop at irregular intervals.
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.
Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic, inflammatory disorder and a rare form of arthritis. Triggers for ankylosing spondylitis include infections (gastrointestinal infections, urinary tract infections [UTIs], and respiratory infections), heavy physical activity, work stress, emotional stress, and pregnancy.
Joint stiffness with ankylosing spondylitis typically worsens with lack of movement, especially upon waking in the morning. This article will discuss how ankylosing spondylitis causes morning stiffness and ways to treat your symptoms.
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.
"Fatigue from inflammation in ankylosing spondylitis can feel like you have the flu. You can ache all over," says Rochelle Rosian, MD, the director of regional rheumatology at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “That's because inflammation affects your whole body, not just your joints.”
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.
Chronic back pain and progressive spinal stiffness are the most common features of the disease.
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.
HLA-B27 and Ankylosing Spondylitis
One gene, HLA-B27, is strongly associated with a big family of rheumatic diseases called spondyloarthropathies. It includes: Axial spondyloarthritis.
The hallmark feature of ankylosing spondylitis is the involvement of the sacroiliac (SI) joints during the progression of the disease. The SI joints are located at the base of the spine, where the spine joins the pelvis. More information on ankylosis and iritis can be found in the Complications section.
What are the symptoms of an ankylosing spondylitis (AS) flare-up, and how can a person treat them? Symptoms of an AS flare-up can include fatigue, back stiffness, fever, depression, and joint pain. To treat an AS flare-up, a person can try medication, gentle exercise, and heat or cold therapy.
Advanced Ankylosing Spondylitis
If you have more advanced AS, your doctor may tell you that your spine has fused. That happens when new bone grows between some of the small bones that form your spine, joining them together. The more this happens, the less movement you have in your spine.
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.