Ankylosing Spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory disease that can cause some of the vertebrae in your spine to fuse together. This fusing makes the spine less flexible and can result in a hunched-forward posture. If ribs are affected, it may be difficult to breathe deeply. Ankylosing spondylitis affects men more often than women. Signs and symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis typically begin in early adulthood. Inflammation also can occur in other parts of your body, most commonly eyes.

There is no cure for ankylosing spondylitis, but treatments can decrease your pain and lessen your symptoms.

Causes: Ankylosing spondylitis has no known specific cause, though genetic factors seem to be involved. In particular, people who have a gene called HLA-B27 are at significantly increased risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis.

Mortality is increased in people with Ankylosing spondylitis and circulatory disease is the most frequent cause of death. Ankylosing spondylitis patients have an increased risk of 60% for cerebrovascular mortality, and an overall increased risk of 50% for vascular mortality.