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People with rare diseases know that the right government policies can make a big difference in the quality of their own lives, and those of their caregivers. But most lawmakers aren’t experts in even one well-known disease — let alone the world’s estimated 7,000 rare disorders. So how does the…

People with axial spondyloarthropathy are more prone to develop additional disorders — called “multimorbidity” — which is associated with worse disease outcomes, according to a recent Irish study. The study, “Multimorbidity is Common in Axial Spondyloarthropathy and is Associated with Worse Disease Outcomes: Results from the ASRI cohort,”…

Both the lifetime risk of valvular heart disease (VHD) and the need for pacemakers markedly increase with age for people with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). But these risk rates are only slightly higher than those for people without the disease, a U.S. population-based study shows. In light of these…

Problems in spinal mobility are common in people living with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) for more than 10 years, a Swedish study shows. The most prevalent problem is difficulty in bending the spine sideways, which associates with worse mobility problems later on. The study, “Long‐term spinal mobility in ankylosing…

People with ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis both are prone to developing additional diseases (comorbidities). However, only in patients with psoriatic arthritis do comorbidities seem to have a negative impact on physical function, according to a study. The study, “Impact of Comorbidity on Physical Function in Patients with Ankylosing…

People with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis share the same disease comorbidities as those affected by ankylosing spondylitis, which may hold implications regarding treatment management, a study finds. The findings, “Comparison of comorbidities and treatment between ankylosing spondylitis and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis in the United States,” were published in Rheumatology.

RaDaR, the catchy new name for the U.S. government-run Rare Diseases Registry Program, aims to help patient advocacy groups with limited resources build their own disease registries. The site was developed by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), a division of the National Institutes of…

Progressing disease, older age, and lower education can significantly affect ankylosing spondylitis patients’ ability to cope with the challenges and burden associated with their illness, a study has found. Multidisciplinary clinical teams should take these findings into consideration to prevent additional health problems and provide the best care and support…

With 250 rare diseases newly identified every year, scientists can barely keep up — even as the healthcare system fails millions of Americans whose rare diseases have already been diagnosed. That’s the warning from Christopher P. Austin, MD, director of the National Center for Advancing Translational Studies (NCATS) at…

Having ankylosing spondylitis more than doubles the risk of developing depression, and the presence of additional chronic conditions exacerbates this risk, a South Korean population-based study reports. Older female patients and those with a low household income were also found to be more susceptible to depression. These findings were…