What is ankylosing spondylitis?

  Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that mainly affects the sacroiliac joints, spinal prominences, paraspinal soft tissues and peripheral joints, and may be accompanied by extra-articular manifestations. The main clinical manifestations are back, back, neck, hip and hip pain, as well as joint swelling and pain, and in severe cases, spinal deformity and spinal ankylosis.  Ankylosing spondylitis is an ancient disease that has been described as early as ancient Egypt. 1691 saw the official documentation of cases of AS, but it has been considered a variant of rheumatoid arthritis and is referred to as the “central form of rheumatoid arthritis” or “rheumatoid spondylitis”. “It was not until 1973 that the association between AS and rheumatoid arthritis was discovered. It was not until 1973 that AS was discovered to be associated with human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27 for short), and the increasing understanding of AS led to its separation from rheumatoid arthritis and the term spondyloarthritis.  Ankylosing spondylitis is more frequent and symptomatic in young men aged 15-30 years, while women have more peripheral joint involvement, cervical spine and upper back pain, less severe symptoms and a better prognosis (the incidence of AS is about 3 per 1,000, with a male to female ratio of about (2-3):1)