What are the latest ASAS/EULAR recommendations for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis

  Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a potentially serious disease with multiple clinical manifestations that often requires multidisciplinary rheumatologic care. The primary goal of treating AS is to maximize quality of life by controlling symptoms and inflammation, avoiding long-term joint deformities, and maintaining social competence. The goal of treatment is to provide the best possible care for the patient in a shared decision making process between the physician and the patient. Both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments are taken into account.  1. General treatment: Treatment of patients with AS should be based on the existing clinical manifestations (including mid-shaft, peripheral joints, tendon end lesions, extra-articular symptoms and signs), the severity of existing symptoms, clinical manifestations and prognosis, and general clinical characteristics (age, gender, comorbidities, combined medications and psychosocial factors). 2. Disease monitoring: including medical history (e.g., questionnaires), clinical parameters, laboratory examinations, imaging examinations, specific monitoring time according to the disease duration, severity and individualization of treatment.  3. Non-pharmacological treatment: The basis of this is patient education and regular exercise. Home exercise is very effective, while physiotherapy, individual or group exercise on land or in water under special guidance is more effective.  4. Extra-articular manifestations and complications: Common extra-articular manifestations such as psoriasis, uveitis and inflammatory bowel disease require. Collaborative treatment with a specialist is required. Rheumatologists should also be alert to the risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, 5, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: including celebrex, is the first line of treatment for patients with AS with pain and morning stiffness. Patients with active disease and clinical symptoms require continuous treatment with NSAIDs. Cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and renal risks should be considered when prescribing NSAIDs.  6. Analgesics: e.g. paracetamol and opioids can be given to patients for whom prior therapy has failed or is contraindicated or has poor efficacy.  7, glucocorticoids: can be injected directly into the inflammation of the musculoskeleton. And for medial lesions systemic application of glucocorticoids Evidence supports.  8.Anti-rheumatic drugs for disease relief: There is no conclusive evidence for the treatment of mid-axis lesions with DMARD, including salazosulfapyridine and methotrexate. Salazosulfapyridine has some effect on the treatment of peripheral joints.  9. Anti-TNF therapy: Anti-TNF therapy should be administered to patients with high persistent disease activity regardless of the conventional therapy recommended by ASAS. For mid-axis lesions, there is no evidence to support the application of DMARD or combination prior to anti-TNF therapy. There is no evidence to support which anti-TNF biologic agent is more effective for mid-axis, peripheral joint and tendon terminal disease, but the gastrointestinal effectiveness for inflammatory bowel disease is variable. For one anti-TNF treatment that is ineffective, replacing it with a second one will also work. There is no evidence that biological agents other than anti-TNF are effective in the treatment of AS.  10. Surgery: Total hip arthroplasty is indicated for patients with AS who have imaging suggestive of structural destruction with refractory pain or loss of function, regardless of age. Patients with severe spinal deformities with limited movement can undergo corrective spinal osteotomy. Patients with AS who have acute vertebral fractures need to be seen by a spine surgeon.  11. Changes in the course of the disease: Special changes in the course of the disease, such as spinal fractures in addition to inflammation, require attention and re-evaluation, such as imaging is necessary.