Then there is Ankylosing spondylitis.....genetically passed on......????Google the rest.... Signs and symptoms[edit] Illustration depicting Ankylosing Spondylitis. Symptoms appear gradually, most commonly between 15 and 45 years of age.[1] Sacroiliitis is usually one of the earliest manifestation of AS. The initial symptom is usually a typical chronic dull pain, insidious in onset, felt deep in the lower lumbar or gluteal region, accompanied by low-back morning stiffness. It can occur in in the middle part of the spine or the entire spine, often with pain referred to one or the other buttock or the back of the thigh from the sacroiliac joint. Pain is often severe at rest, but improves with physical activity. However, many experience inflammation and pain to varying degrees regardless of rest and movement. Enthesopathy: Ankylosing spondylitis is one of a cluster of conditions known as seronegative spondyloarthropathies, in which rheumatoid factor tests are negative and the characteristic pathological lesion is an inflammation of the enthesis (the insertion of tensile connective tissue into bone). Since the initial signs and symptoms are not specific for ankylosing spondylitis, there is a lag-time between onset of disease and diagnosis, which averages between 8.5 years and 11.4 years.[3] Arthritis in the hips and shoulders may occur. The most common extraarticular manifestation is acute anterior uveitis which can antedate the spondylitis. About 40 percent of AS patients experience inflammation in the anterior chamber of the eye (uveitis), causing redness, eye pain, floaters and photophobia. Visual acuity is usually maintained and the fundus is normal. This is thought to be due to the association that both AS and uveitis have with the inheritance of the HLA-B27 antigen. Loss of spinal mobility, with limitation of anterior flexion, lateral flexion, and extension of the lumbar spine, is seen. Lung involvement, is characterized by slowly progressive fibrosis of the upper portion of the lung. There is limitation of chest expansion. Recurrent chest infection is the most common cause of death. Aortitis, aortic valve insufficiency or cardiac conduction disturbances. Prostatitis occurs with increased frequency in men. The most serious complication of the spinal disease is spinal fracture, which can occur with even minor trauma to the rigid, osteoporotic spine. Mortality attributable to AS is largely the result of spinal trauma, aortic insufficiency, respiratory failure, amyloid nephropathy, or complications of therapy such as upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Other common symptoms of AS include: chest pain and generalized fatigue. Less commonly ectasia of the sacral nerve root sheaths may occur. When the condition presents before the age of 18, it is relatively likely to cause pain and swelling of large limb joints, particularly the knee, Also pain in the groin not associated with UTI (urinary tract infection). In prepubescent cases, pain and swelling may also manifest in the ankles and feet, where heel spurs may also develop.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 09:13:40 +0000
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