The spine is like the “load-bearing wall” of the human body, and its importance can be imagined. But there is a disease that puts this “wall” at risk of “deformation”, and it is ankylosing spondylitis.
Zeng Xiaofeng, director of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said that ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic disease with obvious disability. When the disease progresses to the later stage, the patient’s neck will not be able to move. Ankylosing spondylitis also has a popular name called “bamboo pole disease”, which means that patients with severe disease are like a bamboo pole, their neck is stiff and they cannot turn their heads.
Zeng Xiaofeng said that according to the results of relevant epidemiological studies, it is estimated that there are about 5 million patients with ankylosing spondylitis in my country. Ankylosing spondylitis is more common in young people, especially in young men, and the high incidence period is between the ages of 20 and 30. At the same time, although ankylosing spondylitis is not a genetic disease, it is related to heredity. If the HLA-B27 gene is found to be positive, there may be a 20%-25% probability of suffering from this disease.
Regarding the clinical manifestations of ankylosing spondylitis, Zeng Xiaofeng said that the typical clinical manifestations are low back pain or hip pain, as well as morning lumbar stiffness and other symptoms. If these symptoms appear, you should go to the rheumatology and immunization department of the hospital for treatment and do relevant examinations.
Early diagnosis, early regular treatment and better chronic disease management are very important for patients. Zeng Xiaofeng said that if the treatment is not timely, it may lead to disability in the later stage, which not only reduces the quality of life, but also seriously affects the social function of the patient.
In terms of disease diagnosis and treatment, Zeng Xiaofeng pointed out that there is no cure for ankylosing spondylitis at present, and he has faced the dilemma of lack of doctors and medicines for a long time. However, with the advancement of drug research and development, drugs can currently be used to slow the progression of the disease. For example, biological agents such as interleukin-17A (IL-17A) inhibitors can effectively control inflammation and prevent the formation of osteophytes, thereby reducing the disability rate of patients. (Reporter Chen Cong)