Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an autoimmune, potentially disabling, inflammatory arthritis of the spine. It is chronic and cannot be cured, but rather managed, and typically presents in men under 45.
“Myths about AS are harmful because it prevents patients who may have symptoms of the disease from seeking care because they don't fit the typical mold of what an ‘ankylosing spondylitis patient’ looks like,” says Nilasha Ghosh, MD, Rheumatologist at Hospital for Special Surgery.
Nilasha Ghosh, MD, MS, is a board-certified Rheumatologist with expertise in autoimmune diseases, inflammatory arthritis, and musculoskeletal medicine.
References
Hickman, R. (2013) The Myth That Women Don’t Get Ankylosing Spondylitis. Autoimmune Association.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2016) Ankylosing Spondylitis.
van Tubergen, A., et al. (2023). Clinical manifestations of axial spondyloarthritis (ankylosing spondylitis and nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis) in adults. UptoDate.
van Tubergen, A., et al. (2024). Patient education: Axial spondyloarthritis, including ankylosing spondylitis (Beyond the Basics). UptoDate.
Wenker, K. J., et al. (2022). Ankylosing spondylitis. StatPearls [Internet].
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