Ankylosing spondylitis, what is this “immortal cancer”?

On November 17, Li Yuchun released a new song that touched many people. At the same time, a hot search #A song written by Li Yuchun from the perspective of an ankylosing spondylitis patient# sparked heated discussions. It turned out that this song was written by Li Yuchun based on her personal experience. Li Yuchun herself is an ankylosing spondylitis patient.

Source | Weibo screenshot

In fact, in an interview program in October, Li Yuchun revealed that she had suffered from illness for many years. Not only could she not lie down, she also had to sit in a wheelchair at one point. She could not walk or sleep. This is too terrible!

Source | Weibo screenshot

However, ankylosing spondylitis is a very common disease. Many celebrities such as Jay Chou, Ada Choi, and Zhang Jiayi have suffered from this disease.

Out of curiosity, I looked up the symptoms related to this disease, and I remembered a documentary I had watched before, which told the story of the treatment of a "folded man". The patient's upper body was close to the lower body, and the whole person was folded 180 degrees. When I saw it at the time, I was greatly shocked and felt the tenacity of life and the greatness of Chinese medical care. Now I find that the patient in this documentary and Li Yuchun have the same disease, called ankylosing spondylitis.

Source｜Documentary screenshot

1

What is ankylosing spondylitis?

Ankylosing spondylitis is a disease caused by autoimmune disorders that causes chronic inflammation of the joints of the body, mainly damaging the sacroiliac joints and spine, and causing stiffness and pain in other parts of the body. If not treated in time, it can also lead to joint fusion and spinal rigidity, affecting organs such as the eyes, heart, lungs, and stomach.

Source | Internet

Because this disease is long-term and lifelong, causing intermittent pain at mild levels and disability and paralysis or even becoming a "folded person" at severe levels, it is also called the "immortal cancer."

The disability rate of ankylosing spondylitis is very high , mainly because most patients are not diagnosed in time in the early stages. The symptoms in the early stages of the disease are relatively mild. Patients will have intermittent back and pelvic pain, which can be relieved by rest and can easily be mistaken for ordinary muscle soreness; some patients will experience symptoms of fatigue, low fever, anorexia, weight loss, and anemia, but it is difficult to determine the specific cause. In the later stages, physical damage will worsen and treatment will become more difficult, leading to a serious condition.

Source | Sohu.com

Ankylosing spondylitis has the following main symptoms:

Back pain: back pain and hip pain that lasts for more than 3 months, as well as stiffness in the waist when getting up in the morning, which can be relieved by more activities

Alternating hip pain: hip pain that alternates from one side to both sides

Spine stiffness: The spine becomes upright and is blocked when leaning forward, backward, twisting, etc.

Anterior chest wall pain: Patients experience chest wall pain, hunchback, and chest tightness.

Peripheral joint swelling and pain: often occurs in the joints of the lower limbs, often asymmetrical, and may cause disability

Causes other symptoms: eye lesions, impaired cardiopulmonary function, nerve compression, intestinal diseases, etc.

The negative impact of ankylosing spondylitis on life cannot be underestimated. The prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis in my country is about 0.3%, with more than 5 million patients, mostly young and middle-aged men aged 15 to 30. The disease rarely occurs after the age of 40, and the prevalence rate in women is lower than that in men.

Source | See watermark

2

Causes of Ankylosing Spondylitis

The cause of ankylosing spondylitis is not clear, but according to various studies at home and abroad, the following two factors will increase the risk of ankylosing spondylitis:

One is genetic factors, which is related to the same human leukocyte antigen HLA-B27. The HLA-B27 positivity rate of ordinary people is 6%-8%, while the positivity rate of patients with ankylosing spondylitis is as high as about 95%. There is an obvious family clustering phenomenon in the diseased group.

The second is environmental factors. Studies have found that more than half of the patients have intestinal microbial infections, one of which is called Klebsiella, which is speculated to trigger an indiscriminate attack by the immune system, leading to the onset of ankylosing spondylitis.

In other words, having a genetic gene and environmental (infection) factors triggering gene mutations can cause ankylosing spondylitis.

3

Can ankylosing spondylitis be cured?

In recent years, ankylosing spondylitis has received more and more attention, but the disease has not yet been completely cured, and only some means can be used to reduce and relieve the pain symptoms.

As mentioned before, ankylosing spondylitis is difficult to diagnose in the early stages, especially since most young people now sit for long periods of time at work. Back pain and muscle stiffness caused by long periods of sitting are relatively common. In addition, since their diet is mainly takeout, the risk of gastrointestinal infection increases. By the time they realize the disease, it may have already become more serious.

Remind everyone not to sit for long periods of time!

Source | pixabay

Nowadays, living habits have changed a lot, and the incidence of ankylosing spondylitis has also shown an upward trend. The specific diagnosis of the disease needs to be determined by a doctor based on family medical history, clinical observation, blood gene testing, imaging examinations, etc.

Early ankylosing spondylitis is mainly treated with medication , using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics to relieve pain and stiffness, combined with anti-rheumatic drugs to suppress the immune response to reduce inflammation, allowing patients to live and study normally.

For some patients with severe disease, biological agents are used for treatment, which can alleviate immune disorders. The anti-inflammatory effect is better than traditional anti-rheumatic drugs, is more targeted, and can greatly delay the progression of the disease.

As for some patients whose condition has progressed to a serious stage with bent or even folded backs, drug treatment has had little effect and they need surgery to achieve normal upright posture. For example, the "folding man" mentioned at the beginning of the article is the first "3-on folding man" in China (Chin on chest, Sternum on pubis, Face on femur). His upper body is completely fitted with his lower body, which is very rare worldwide.

However, with the advancement of medical technology, the treatment technology for ankylosing spondylitis has become more mature, and the treatment effect has also improved accordingly.

For ordinary people like us, we should always pay attention to our physical health, exercise more, pay attention to our diet, and seek medical treatment in time if we feel unwell, so as to prevent various diseases.

See here and quickly get up and stretch ~

Source | pixabay

The editor hopes that everyone can learn more about this knowledge and share it with family and friends, so as to better protect the health of themselves and those around them. Finally, the editor who has finished writing the article is going to get up and stretch. Have you been sitting for a long time after reading the article? Get up and move around, relax your body, and replenish some water~