Ankylosing spondylitis

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What is Ankylosing Spondylitis?

Ankylosing Spondylitis, or Bechterew's disease, is an autoimmune disease that presents as a chronic form of arthritis located in the spine and at its base, where it connects to the pelvis. This disease evolves towards a progressive stiffness of the spine, which is why it is known as the Guillermo Tell syndrome.

Ankylosing Spondylitis is part of the diseases called spondyloarthritis, which include Ankylosing Spondylitis, reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or arthritis of inflammatory bowel disease.

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Causes of Ankylosing Spondylitis

Spondyloarthritides share causes and symptoms, with the genetic factor being decisive, as in other autoimmune diseases. First-degree relatives of a patient with spondylitis have a higher risk of developing spondylitis.

In fact, there are studies that relate the HLA-B27 gene to 90 percent of cases (within a sample of Anglo-Saxon descent).

In addition, there is evidence, and it is still being studied, that a bacterial infection could be behind spondylitis.

Symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis

The main symptomatic characteristics of ankylosing spondylitis are: inflammation of the spine that causes pain and progressive stiffness of the area, especially at the cervical level. This is what is known as the Guillermo Tell syndrome.

The neck can become so immobile that it cannot be turned to either side, requiring the entire body to turn in order to look sideways and backwards.

Another of its most significant characteristics is that patients who suffer from it cannot stay in bed for more than 5 consecutive hours; they have to get up due to the pain, which only subsides with movement.

These symptoms appear periodically, and patients spend long periods with a normal, pain-free life.