Ankylosing Spondylitis

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Tags: genetics science dna

The genetics of immune conditions

As part of a new blog series, genetic counsellor Kira Dineen explains the role of genetics in immune conditions.

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Episode 45

Steff Di Pardo on Ankylosing Spondylitis and Instagram as a support network for health communities

Insights & Information

AS Prevalence

AS is estimated to affect about one in every 560 people globally.

Estimates on the amount of people with AS vary quite widely by geographical area, with the lowest prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the highest in Northern Arctic communities. [1]

Genetics

Genetically, AS is complex, although it does have a particularly strong association with one gene - HLA-B27. [2]

The heritability of AS is high - estimated by this study as 90% [3]

Main Symptoms

Neck pain
Fatigue
Back pain and stiffness
Joint inflammation (arthritis)
Enthesitis

Signs of AS usually start to appear between 20 to 30 years of age [4]

Impacts

AS results in significantly lower health-related quality of life compared to the general population. [5]

The SAA reports that 54% of people with Spondyloarthritis go undiagnosed for at least 5 years [6]

Resources for advice

These are the best resources we've found so far on managing and learning about AS. Please let us know if you have other and we'll add them to the list!

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