Ankylosing Spondylitis: Affecting Young & Old

Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic arthritis characterized by inflammation along the joints of the spine and the pelvis, which eventually causes fusion along the joints of the spine – a condition that is called bamboo spine.

Ankylosing spondylitis manifests itself in typically young patients within the age range of 18 to 30-years-of-age. Symptoms begin with stiffness in the lower spine as well as chronic pain, often times the pain travels to one side of the buttocks or another and can travel down the back to the thigh. Unfortunately, ankylosing spondylitis is much more painful on the patient during rest, which almost forces the patient to exercise – which is the best thing to treat the condition.

Traditionally, men are more at risk to developing ankylosing spondylitis over women three-to-one. Interestingly in more than 40-percent of all ankylosing spondylitis cases there is an inflammation of the eye which causes photophobia and intense eye pain. Fatigue is also common, and in patients younger than 18 there is a general swelling and pain in the large joints, such as the knee with the spine soon after.