Will Ankylosing Spondylitis Show Up on an MRI?

Ankylosing spondylitisis a type ofarthritisthat largely affects the joints and ligaments in your spine.

In some cases, the vertebrae in your lower spine will fuse, causing severestiffnessandpain. Other people will experience only occasional episodes of mildback pain. In either case, there’s no cure.

AS can affect other joints, including those in your:

• Pelvis
• Ribs
• Shoulders
• Knees
• Ankles
• Heels

In around 80% of cases, you’ll start to feel AS symptoms before 30. Only 5% of patients are over 45. The condition is also twice as common in men than women.

There’s also one genetic link to AS: a gene called HLA-B27. If you have a family history of AS, you likely have this gene, and your doctor may order a blood test to confirm.

HLA-B27基因的人倾向于开发disease around 25 years of age, while those without it show symptoms closer to 28. It’s important to keep in mind that not everyone with HLA-B27 will develop AS.

The main symptom of AS islower back paincaused by inflammation. Still, there are other symptoms that you may experience:

• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Skinrashes
• Abdominal pain
• Loose bowel movements

If you have AS, there’s a good chance you have other conditions or symptoms that will help your doctor pinpoint this difficult-to-diagnose condition. These include:

• Psoriasis:Theitchyskin disease found in around 9% of people with AS
• Iritis:The sudden appearance of眼睛的问题likepain, redness, and light sensitivity found in 20% to 40% of all AS cases
• Crohn’s disease andulcerative colitis:Irritable bowelconditions found in about 6% of people with AS.

People who have one or more of these conditions and AS tend to have worse symptoms overall. We need more research to understand why these specific conditions are connected to AS.

One hint is thatIritis, Crohn’s disease, andulcerative colitisalso involve inflammation. This is a possible link to the inflammatoryback painof AS.

The condition tends to cause lethargy and can often get in the way of your everyday life. The pain and loss of flexibility can make it difficult for people to continue their jobs and maintain theirmental health.

If you have AS, it’s important to seek the help you need when you need it, including therapy and counseling services.

A formal diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis used to require evidence of severe changes to your sacroiliac joints throughX-rays. These joints act asshockabsorbers for your spine and transfer force from your lower body into your upper body. The problem is this damage can take up to ten years to become visible, leading to seven to 10 years of delayed diagnosis.

MRIsuse powerful magnets to create images of each section of a body part, such as a joint. A computer then combines these slices to create a three-dimensional model.

An MRI can help your doctor detect inflammation in your lower (axial) spine and your sacroiliac joints. MRI-confirmed inflammation in these regions, combined with other risk factors and symptoms, is a good indication you have ankylosing spondylitis.

An MRI can detect symptomatic inflammatory changes many years earlier than X-rays. It’s by far the better imaging method for your earliest possible diagnosis. Computed tomography (CT) scans are also much better than X-rays at detecting these early signs of inflammation.

Another essential part of diagnosing AS is a detailed physical exam. This will include an inspection of your joints and flexibility. You may also be asked to breathe deeply to check for any stiffness or inflammation in your ribs.

Since persistentlower back painis the most common symptom, your doctor will want to know specific details to determine if it’s caused by inflammation or mechanical problems. The pain needs to continue for at least three months before this disease is considered a possibility.

Unlike mechanical causes, inflammatory ASback paintends to be:

• Worse when you first wake up
• Worse when you sit still for a long time
• Better when you stretch andexercise
• So severe in the second half of the night that the pain can wake you up
• Accompanied by alternating pain in your left and right buttocks

You can help your doctor with this diagnosis by keeping careful track of yourback paindetails.

Treatment for this disease focuses on relieving your symptoms and slowing the damage caused by AS. The three main treatment techniques include:

• Medications:The most commonly recommended medication isover-the-counteranti-inflammatories, likeibuprofen.Corticosteroidscan be directly injected into problematic joints, and newer biological medications can interfere with your immune system’s inflammation response.
• Physical Therapy:Essential for correcting your posture — both while awake and asleep — and figuring out the most appropriateexerciseregime for your body.
• Surgery:Used to repair severe joint damage caused by the disease but must be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Part of the difficulty with catching ankylosing spondylitis early is that few young people seek medical attention for back pain. Regardless of your age, you should seek medical help if your back pain lasts for more than three months or if you believe it’s caused by persistent inflammation.

一个早期诊断可以帮助防止一些长期effects, so it’s better to see your doctor as soon as you notice problematic symptoms.