AS does discriminate -- it is more common in men than women. It can also affect other areas of the body, including the shoulders, ribs, hips, and joints in the hands and feet. In some cases, this disease can affect certain organs in the body, including the heart, lungs, and eyes.
What Are The Symptoms?
The cause of AS is unknown. However, there have been some genetic markers that have been identified and linked to it, indicating it might be hereditary. AS usually begins to show signs in early adulthood.
In the initial stages of the disease, sufferers will typically develop some level of chronic pain and/or stiffness, most commonly starting in the lower back. The discomfort will begin to develop gradually over a few months. When the pain surfaces, it may only happen on one side of the body, or it may alternate sides. It is typically a dull, generalized pain, rather than a sharp, shooting pain. In women, symptoms are often atypical, making a diagnosis harder.
For most people, this early pain is particularly severe overnight and in the mornings, and may be eased by showering or exercise, according to the SAA. As the pain becomes more consistent and develops on both sides, it may spread up through the spine and neck, ribs, shoulders, hips and thighs.
In addition, patients with AS may experience fatigue, weight loss, mild to moderate anemia, as well as bowel inflammation. Some patients may experience a pain that starts in a location other than the spine, such as at the hip joint or neck.
What Are My Risk Factors?
Concerned that you have developed this disease? Here are five factors could put you at risk for AS.
You’re Male
Although AS strikes both males and females, it tends to strike men about three times as often as it does women. In men, symptom onset is fairly textbook, with initial pain most often taking place in the lower back, buttocks or hips. Women who develop AS are far more likely to experience atypical symptoms, such as having symptom onset occur in another part of the body, like the back.
You’re A Teenager Or In Your 20s
Symptoms usually occur during the teenage years or when a patient is in his or her 20s. According to Cleveland Clinic, the median age for symptom onset with AS patients is 23, and there is almost never a case with symptom onset past the age of 40. There can, however, be a delay in accurate diagnosis for a number of reasons. If you have symptoms that match up with AS, consult your physician, especially if you also have other risk factors for the disease.
You Have A Relative With AS
Because of the genetic component to AS, people who have relatives, specifically a parent or sibling, are more likely to carry the same gene that has been linked to the disease, the HLA-827 gene. Your risk of developing AS when you have a relative who has been diagnosed with the disease goes up between 5 and 16 times. If you have a relative who has AS, and you begin to experience early symptoms, it’s important to get yourself checked, and disclose your concerns to your doctor.
You’re North American And Caucasian
Cleveland Clinic explains that about 7 percent of the North American Caucasian population carries the gene that has been linked to AS, and it’s found in more than 90 percent of patients who have been diagnosed with the disease. But just because someone is a genetic carrier doesn’t mean that they will develop the condition. Only about 5 percent of people who have the gene will develop the disease.
The disease is most commonly found in Alaskan and Siberian Eskimos, as well as in the Scandinavian Lapp population. The disease and gene are also found more commonly in some Western Native American tribes, as well as some Canadian tribes, according to Mayo Clinic. African Americans as a population are typically at a lower risk of developing AS.
You Have Gastrointestinal Problems
Certain infections of the gastrointestinal system, including salmonella, shigella, and campytobacter, may raise your risk of developing AS, according to Everyday Health. While the link between these infections and the onset of AS is not entirely clear, some experts believe that it has to do with how the immune system reacts to these infections.
How Is It Diagnosed?
A physical exam will be the first test performed to check for AS. According to Mayo Clinic, your doctor will likely have you bend your back into various positions, and may look at your chest circumference with full and empty lungs to check its expansion. You may be asked to stand with your heels and head against a wall to test your posture and ability to stand fully upright, and your doctor may check the triggers for your pain.
Once you’ve had your physical, your doctor may request x-rays, although in its early stages, it will be difficult to pick up any telltale markers for the disease using x-ray imaging tests. Another test, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) screen, may provide a better, more detailed view of the bones, and can help doctors make a diagnosis in earlier stages.
How Is It Treated?
There isn’t a cure for AS, and the damage to the joints caused by AS may be irreversible. Because of this, it’s important to seek treatment when you begin to experience symptoms bwcause treatment options focus on relieving pain and stiffness, as well as delaying or preventing the progression of the disease so that you don’t develop complications, such as spinal deformities.