Men more likely to be affected

Hyderabad: In recent years, there has been an alarming increase in the incidence of Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) amongst young Indians in the age group of 20-30 years. It is an irreversible, inflammatory and autoimmune disease that affects the spinal cord. In AS, an overgrowth in the spine’s bones causes them to fuse together to form a rigid spine. Prevalent amongst 1 in 100 of the adult population, AS more commonly affects young men, especially in their teens and between their early twenties and thirties.

The condition can impact bones of the neck, back, inner thighs, hips and can severely disrupt mobility and cause damage to the posture. If left undiagnosed and untreated, it can bend the spine and neck to an extent that it may become impossible for one to lift their head high enough to see forward. Dr V Sarath Chandra Mouli, Clinical Director, Rheumatologist, Dept of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, KIMS Hospital, says, “The incidence of Ankylosing Spondylitis is more prevalent amongst the male population of 45 years of age or less.

One of the predominant symptoms of the condition is lower back pain that especially occurs in the morning and could last for more than 45 minutes. If not diagnosed in a timely manner, this condition could further affect joints of hands, feet, knees and hips as well. Even after diagnosis of the condition, general physicians, orthopedicians and physicians do not refer AS patients to a rheumatologist soon enough as some of them are not aware of the latest developments on how this condition can be effectively managed.”