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Ankylosing Spondylitis; a very similar condition to arthritis, but particular with the spinal joints. It is also known as Bekhterev’s disease. It mainly affects the joint in spine, the joining point of spine with pelvis and may result in the ultimate infusion of the spine. Like other diseases of the group Ankylosing Spondylitis is a long term disease and goes and stays with the life of the man once if attacks. It causes inflammation of the joints present in the spine. Sometimes results in the joining of the affected joints together. The resulting condition is the sever inability to mobility and a constant pain in the affected areas.

Apparently medical science has been failed to find out why it happens. Yet a common thought is that it is carried in genes from generations over generations. Hence, the chapter is closed after tagging it completely a disease of heredity and the family history is held to be responsible for the frequency of the occurrence of this disease. Male gender is more prone to the disease than the female. Risk factors include the family history and being the member of the male gender. Females suffer less with this disease as compared to men.

The disease often starts between the age of 20-40 but it can also start even at the age of 10. So, again no age specification is associated with Ankylosing Spondylitis. It is all depending on the ratio of the people found in family suffering with Ankylosing Spondylitis.

The first provoking symptom is low back pain which is very intense and severe in the nature. In some cases; it is not constant and happens to come and go at any time. It makes the lower abdomen very stiff and you find yourself quite ill at ease. The stiffness is worst in the night, in the morning and at the times when you are inactive. It can be so intense that can simply wake you up from your sleep and deep slumber. Once you wake up and get involve in some physical activity; you may feel better as any type of activity can lessen it. It can start from your sacroiliac joint and can take the complete spine in its occurrence.

 Fatigue is another symptom of the disease. You will find yourself feeling very tired even after performing trivial task with no utilization of energy at all if you are suffering with Ankylosing Spondylitis. You may even find yourself not courageous enough to deal with the bigger tasks which are relatively heavy to perform. The simple reason is the feeling of getting fatigued and tired which prevails throughout the condition. Other less common symptoms include weight loss, heel pain, eye inflammation, hip pain and stiffness, joint pain, loss of appetite and slight fever. These symptoms may not occur in every case of Ankylosing Spondylitis and the patient may have one or the other among them. It is not common for all these symptoms to be found in a single case.

Back pain can make you totally unable to move and lose the ability of motion in the lower part which is a very painful phenomenon and can make you sick and feel helpless with the passage of time. The psychological factors get involved in the feeling of the situation prevailing on the nerves. The patient feels handicapped and always feels that he is totally cut away from the worldly activities. This feeling keeps the patient depressed. This isolation and inner feelings of inability keep the persons away from performing the normal activities. This condition is quite natural and unable to control yet controlling this situation can make the patient feel better.

The final diagnosis is through the tests and signs. These tests include MRI and X-Ray and CBS. These tests reveal the true situation of the condition of the patient. Once the disease is fully diagnosed with the real situation; the doctor describes the drugs. The same group of drugs is used for Ankylosing Spondylitis as used for joint arthritis. The doctor usually prescribes the no steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce the pain and inflammation. But these drugs are found to leave the severe and harmful side effects.

Analgesics are a group of drugs which is used to relieve pain. This group works on the specific pattern. It reduces pain either by blocking the pain signals going to brain or changing the interpretation of brain receiving these signals without causing unconsciousness. People using this group as a mode of medication often complain the drowsiness and the sleepy conditions prevailing on them.

The ultimate treatment is of surgery. The surgery is done if the joint is damaged or the pain is severe. Many people do not go for surgery until they are totally unable to move or the hip movement is zero.

Many people talk about the precautions that “what should be done to avoid Ankylosing Spondylitis?” the simple answer is that the precautions can be found when the reasons are known. As there is no reason of the disease is found except the carryover of the genes, hence; no precautions are stated or prescribed by the medical science.

The course of the disease is unpredictable. The symptoms may come and go. Or they make you completely captivated. Here the important thing is to keep you psychologically fit and normal. Once if you develop an understanding with the disease; you will find it easier for you to live a normal life and perform normal activities. You must acknowledge the reality that you are a patient of the disease which may create troubles for you. It will make way lots of easier for you rather you go in self pity and the result will that people will finally start staying away from you and will consider you a humorless complainer.

Number of patients live long lives with the syndrome as they take it a part of their family heritance. So, is the brief case of Ankylosing Spondylitis described above.

By Ammarah Khan