Wang Shaohua, male, 28 years old, developed knee swelling and pain at the age of 14 with no obvious cause, and was misdiagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis, and used penicillin and painkillers for a long time. In January 2000, the pain worsened and he had difficulty walking. In March 200, he came to the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of the Second People’s Hospital of Fujian Province. Laboratory test results: HIA-B27 positive, C-reactive protein increased, fast sedimentation, immunoglobulin IgA high. X-ray findings: fusion of both sacroiliac joints and bamboo-like changes in part of the lumbar vertebrae, finally diagnosed as “ankylosing spondylitis”. After discharge, the patient continued to be treated with Chinese and Western medicine, and in 2002, he stopped taking Western medicine and continued to take traditional Chinese medicine. 2004, the cervical, thoracic, lumbar spine and hip X-ray did not show any progress. This patient was misdiagnosed as “rheumatoid arthritis” for a long time without regular treatment, resulting in the loss of normal lumbar function and the inability to regain normal function, which we deeply regret. Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic, progressive arthropathy involving the mid-axis joints, mainly affecting the sacroiliac joints, spinal joints and paravertebral tissues, and is more prevalent in young men, with the percentage of women affected being about one-tenth that of men, and the disease is mild. The cause of ankylosing spondylitis is unknown, but is generally thought to be genetically related, with more than 90% of patients being HIA-B27 positive. The common symptom is low back stiffness or pain, which can be relieved by activity. In advanced stages, spinal ankylosis, deformity, and even severe functional impairment can occur, even leading to disability. Once ankylosing spondylitis patients have an ankylosing spine, it is irreversible, resulting in lifelong disability, causing much inconvenience to themselves and their families and a lifetime of suffering from the disease. According to foreign statistics, about 50% of patients lose their ability to work normally 16 years after the onset of the disease. Ankylosing spondylitis starts insidiously and progresses slowly, starting with symptoms such as back stiffness, discomfort, pain or pain in the hip, knee and Achilles tendon, while systemic symptoms are mild and intermittent, developing into persistent only after several months or years, so early patients with ankylosing spondylitis are often overlooked or misdiagnosed. In addition, since 1987, when the Chinese Journal of Internal Medicine published the review “Ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis are not one disease”, the understanding of this disease has been gradually deepened and emphasized, and the lack of in-depth understanding of this disease by most non-specialists may be one of the important reasons for the long-term neglect or misdiagnosis of this disease. Ankylosing spondylitis generally takes an average of 4-10 years from onset to definitive diagnosis, with the longest cases taking up to 30 years before a definitive diagnosis is made. The high disability rate of ankylosing spondylitis is closely related to its long-term neglect or misdiagnosis. Early diagnosis and comprehensive treatment can control or delay the progression of the disease and prevent or delay disability. The following clinical manifestations should be treated by experienced rheumatologists as soon as possible: men aged 7-40 years with recurrent or long-term unexplained stiffness and pain in the knee, hip, ankle, foot joints and Achilles tendon; those with stiffness and pain in the lower back in the middle of the night or in the morning, and whose symptoms improve after activity; those with eye pain, lacrimation, photophobia and other symptoms, and those diagnosed by ophthalmologists as acute uveitis or iritis should have HLA-B27 checked as soon as possible. If you are 12 years old or older, you should take an X-ray of the sacroiliac joint as soon as possible, and if necessary, CT or MRI. If there are abnormalities in the above indicators but the diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis is still not confirmed, active treatment and close follow-up are also recommended. Treatment of ankylosing spondylitis: Currently, Western medicine mainly uses anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs such as diclofenac sodium to relieve symptoms, together with chronic-acting drugs such as salbutamol and methotrexate to slow down the progress of the disease. In the process of western medicine treatment, patients should pay attention to the following points: 1. Most anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs have damaging effects on the gastrointestinal tract, so be vigilant in the treatment process to prevent peptic ulcers. 2. Methotrexate has a damaging effect on the blood system, liver and kidney functions, so attention should be paid to regular checks of blood routine, urine routine, liver and kidney functions during treatment. The Chinese medicine has a history of thousands of years, in the prevention and treatment of disease has accumulated a wealth of experience, a large number of clinical studies have confirmed that Chinese medicine for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis has a better efficacy, if in addition to the Western medicine treatment with Chinese medicine treatment can further improve the efficacy, but also reduce the side effects of Western medicine. In general, patients can relieve their symptoms after western or Chinese and Western medicine treatment, but there are still some patients who cannot relieve their symptoms after the above western and Chinese medicine treatment can be combined with medium frequency, ultrashort wave therapy or Chinese medicine moxibustion therapy, drug fumigation therapy, and if necessary, small doses of glucocorticoid therapy. The Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of the Second People’s Hospital of Fujian Province, in response to the difficult-to-cure characteristics of ankylosing spondylitis, has carried out a combination of Chinese and Western medicine treatment, in addition to medium-frequency and ultrashort wave therapy, as well as Chinese medicine moxibustion therapy, Chinese medicine fumigation, bath therapy, Chinese medicine massage and other comprehensive treatment to improve the overall effectiveness of ankylosing spondylitis and improve the quality of life of patients. May all patients with ankylosing spondylitis enjoy a pain-free life!