Two or more comorbidities affected nearly half of the ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients in a large study of the disease, with the most common coexisting conditions being uveitis (eye inflammation), depression, and hypertension (high blood pressure). Those with no comorbidities were younger and had shorter disease duration, the researchers reported,…

Uveitis, a form of eye inflammation, and lower socioeconomic status are both linked to a longer time to diagnosis in people with axial spondyloarthritis, known as axSpA, a study reports. In contrast, older age at symptom onset is associated with shorter delays, the researchers noted. “These results suggest that…

People with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who experience uveitis, an inflammatory condition of the eye, have a significantly higher risk of stroke than those without this AS symptom, according to a large medical database analysis. Uveitis in AS also was linked with an increased incidence of known stroke…

Gilead Sciences has suspended enrollment in two Phase 3 trials studying the effects of filgotinib, an anti-inflammatory therapy currently being investigated in several inflammatory conditions, in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The trials, SEALION2-NAÏVE (NCT04483700) and SEALION1-IR (NCT04483687), set out to determine if filgotinib is potentially…

I’ve had gut problems for a long time. We’re talking years. When I was a kid, my mom, who was a nursing assistant, helped me when I had tummy aches. My father even brought me to see her at work at the hospital when I was in so much pain…

First in a series. When I first started having symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), I was in my mid-20s which is right in the middle of the age range of when most people receive a diagnosis. How fun! I was doing things that most people that age do.

The presence of a specific genetic marker called HLA-B27 in Caucasian ankylosing spondylitis patients is related to earlier disease onset and higher disease prevalence among family members, a study has found. However, according to the research, being HLAB27-positive is not related to a higher burden of disease or uveitis (inflammation of the eye).

Just 30 percent of people who begin experiencing inflammatory back pain — an early symptom of spondyloarthritis — develop the disease, a study reports. The research, “Clinical evolution of patients with new‐onset inflammatory back pain: a population‐based cohort study,” appeared in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology. Inflammatory back…

The risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis is significantly higher following past episodes of anterior uveitis, a type of eye inflammation, according to researchers. This finding emphasizes the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in the diagnosis and management of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The study, “Recurrent anterior uveitis and subsequent incidence of ankylosing…