Systemic ankylosing spondylitis thyroiditis specialists in Guadalajara
We are a European reference centre for the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune diseases.
What is Ankylosing Spondylitis?
Ankylosing spondylitis, or Bechterew's disease, is an autoimmune disease which presents as a chronic form of arthritis located in the spine and at its base, where it connects to the pelvis. The disease progresses to progressive stiffness of the spine, which is why it is known as William Tell syndrome.
Ankylosing spondylitis is one of a group of diseases called spondyloarthritis, including Ankylosing Spondylitisreactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis or the arthritis of inflammatory bowel disease.
Causes of Ankylosing Spondylitis
Spondyloarthritis share causes and symptoms, the genetic factor being the determining factor, as in other autoimmune diseases.. First-degree relatives of a patient with spondylitis have an increased risk of developing spondylitis.
In fact, studies have linked the HLA-B27 gene to 90 percent of cases (within a sample of Anglo-Saxon ancestry).
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 features of ankylosing spondylitis are: the inflammation of the spine leading to pain and stiffness progressive pain in the area, especially at the cervical level. This is known as William Tell syndrome.
Mobility of the neck may be lost to such an extent that the neck cannot be turned to either side and the whole body has to be turned 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 hours at a time, They have to get up because of the pain, which does not go away except by moving.
These symptoms arise periodically and patients spend long periods of time with a normal, pain-free life.
Treatment of Ankylosing Spondylitis at Biosalud
The treatment consists of two parts: on the one hand, we will treat the pain; on the other hand, we will proceed to regulate the immune system.
- Local treatment of pain: We will apply techniques such as hyperthermia, mesotherapy, cryoelectrophoresis, neural therapy..., which do not cause side effects and act with maximum effectiveness to control pain.
- Treatment of the underlying disease: We are going to regulate the immune system so that it stops attacking. And although we won't be able to restore normality to those joints that have been inflamed for so long, we can stop the disease.
In many cases, Ankylosing Spondylitis is related to alterations at the dental level. It is very important to study the wisdom teeth in particular. It is very common for patients suffering from Ankylosing Spondylitis to have some of their wisdom teeth included (some of them and even all four), so treatment may involve the removal of these wisdom teeth to control the disease.
