A Review of the Pathogenesis of Ankylosing Spondylitis Medscape

Description: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic, progressive inflammatory rheumatic disease involving primarily the sacroiliac joints and the axial skeleton. The main clinical features are back pain and progressive stiffness of the spine. Oligoarthritis of the hips and shoulders, enthesopathy, and anterior uveitis are common, and involvement of the heart and lungs is rare. The current understanding of the pathogenesis of this disorder is limited. Despite the strong association between human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27) and susceptibility to AS reported over the past 30 years, the exact pathogenic role of HLA-B27 in AS and other spondyloarthropathies has yet to be determined. The authors present a review of the literature pertaining to the pathogenesis of AS over the past several decades.
Elias Dakwar, M.D.; Jaypal Reddy, M.D, M.Ch., D.N.B.; Fernando L. Vale, M.D.; Juan S. Uribe, M.D. Neurosurg Focus. 2008;24(1):E2.