Treatment of ankylosing spondylitis

  General treatment measures: the key to ankylosing spondylitis is early diagnosis and early treatment, in addition to drug therapy, sports therapy is particularly important to maintain the physiological curvature of the spine to prevent deformity, maintain thoracic mobility, maintain bone density and strength, prevent osteoporosis and limb wasting muscle atrophy, etc. Patients can take appropriate exercise and exercise according to their personal situation, such as swimming, gymnastics, Tai Chi and so on. In addition, patients need to pay attention to maintaining normal posture and mobility, such as walking, sitting and standing with chest up and abdomen in, sleeping without pillows or with thin pillows, sleeping on hard wooden beds, taking supine or prone position, paying attention to posture when working to prevent spinal curvature deformity. Patients also need to maintain an optimistic mood, eliminate tension, anxiety, depression and fear; quit smoking and alcohol; regular rest.  The first is that the patient should be able to take care of the patient’s health. Biological agents have the characteristics of fast onset and good efficacy. Most patients can rapidly obtain significant improvements in conditions such as morning stiffness, low back pain, peripheral arthritis, tendon terminal inflammation, chest expansion, ESR and CRP, etc. After a period of application, patients’ physical function and health-related quality of life are significantly improved, especially some newly emerged dysfunctional spinal activities can be restored. However, these biologics are expensive, costing at least several thousand dollars per month. And many patients with ankylosing spondylitis are young people, who have just joined the workforce or are still studying and have unstable economic resources, and even some patients give up standardized treatment because they cannot afford the medical expenses, which eventually leads to disability in not a few cases.  2, traditional drug therapy: before the absence of biological agents, patients mostly use traditional drugs including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticosteroids, liubizine, methotrexate, leflunomide, etc.. The most important thing for these drugs to achieve control of the disease is to adhere to the treatment. Patients with unsatisfactory financial situation can choose these drugs, the cost will be much lower than biological agents, but some patients with more serious disease or rapid progress still need to choose biological agents. Patients who choose a particular treatment option based on their doctor’s recommendations do not rest easy. Not only do they need regular checkups to monitor for side effects, but they also need to be evaluated by a rheumatologist to see if the treatment plan is working, if the medication needs to be changed, etc. In addition, patients with ankylosing spondylitis need to pay attention to non-pharmacological treatment, appropriate exercise, and frequent activities such as forward flexion, backward leaning, and left and right rotation of the neck, thoracic, and lumbar spine in all directions in order to maintain the mobility of the spine and joints.