It is called ＂immortal cancer＂. Do you still ignore minor pain after reading this article？

　　Ankylosing spondylitis is a common autoimmune disease. Because of its high disability rate and high recurrence rate, it is known as "immortal cancer". There are about 4 million patients with ankylosing spondylitis in China, and the peak age of onset is 20 ~30 years old. Patients often have to endure long-term pain and treatment pressure. Today, I will know what ankylosing spondylitis is with you and share my treatment experience.

　　Ankylosing spondylitis mainly invades the sacroiliac joint, spine, soft tissue adjacent to spine and peripheral joints, and may be accompanied by extra-articular manifestations such as eyes, intestines, heart and lungs. At the early stage of the disease, patients will have symptoms such as low back pain or stiffness, alternating pain in hips, buttocks or thigh roots, which are often confused with diseases such as lumbar muscle strain and rheumatoid arthritis. With the development of the disease from lumbar spine to chest, neck and spine, there will be problems such as pain, stiffness and limited movement. In the late stage, there will be serious disabilities such as spinal deformity, hunchback and difficulty in walking. At present, there is no explanation that can clarify the cause of ankylosing spondylitis, and we can only think that it may be caused by genetic basis, infection and other factors.

　　In life, it is not difficult to confirm whether you have ankylosing spondylitis, which can be diagnosed by common clinical methods. First, blood test, because ankylosing spondylitis is an immune disease, blood can be drawn for HLA-B27 gene testing, and if it is positive, it is basically diagnosed; The second is imaging diagnosis, making X-ray or magnetic resonance of sacroiliac joint (the position where the two sides behind the buttocks are raised and the spine and pelvis are connected).

　　In addition to medical examination, you should also be vigilant if the following situations suddenly appear:

　　1. Morning stiffness means getting up in the morning and finding that the spine is stiff, which will improve after the activity;

　　2. In addition to the waist, the chest, back and neck feel stiff;

　　3. Peripheral joint pain and even swelling, the younger the onset age, the more obvious the peripheral joint involvement;

　　4. Different from the low back pain caused by strain, the pain will last for more than 6 weeks instead of being relieved after rest;

　　5. The symptoms of low back pain are more obvious at night, and will be relieved after getting up.

　　At present, there is no radical cure for ankylosing spondylitis, and drugs are mainly used in clinic, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-rheumatic drugs, glucocorticoids and biological agents. If patients can get timely diagnosis and reasonable treatment, they can relieve symptoms and improve prognosis, and get the same life function as normal people.

　　In addition, ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic disease, and patients should pay attention to nursing in life besides actively cooperating with doctors in standardized medication and treatment.

　　1. Insist on exercise. Patients can usually do stretching and balancing exercises, or they can do whole-body exercises, such as swimming. The amount of exercise varies from person to person and should be gradual.

　　2. No matter walking or standing, keep a normal posture, sit upright and stand upright, and pay attention to keeping your chest out and your back straight to prevent spinal deformation.

　　3. It is not advisable to sleep in a soft bed, but in a hard bed to keep the normal shape of the spine.

　　In daily life, we must not be careless about these seemingly minor symptoms of low back pain. We should check, prevent and treat them early. We must not blindly treat them and miss the best treatment period.

　　Interviewed expert: Zhang Zhuoli, Director of Rheumatology and Immunology Department of Peking University First Hospital.