What exactly is ankylosing spondylitis, a disease that even celebrities cannot escape?

Recently, Li Yuchun was a guest on a TV show and revealed that she was told by a doctor last year that she had ankylosing spondylitis and had a "petrified feeling". In fact, not only in the entertainment industry, many people have also said that they suffer from this disease.

Li Yuchun mentioned in an interview that her spine has always been in bad condition. During a concert, the disease relapsed to the point where she had to use a wheelchair to travel and could not even lie down steadily. This disease made her understand the pain of patients with ankylosing spondylitis to a certain extent. She also wrote a song "Internal Organs" from the perspective of patients with the disease.

Why is ankylosing spondylitis called the "immortal cancer"?

In fact, there are about 5 million patients with ankylosing spondylitis in China, and many people suffer from this disease. Its primary disease is located at the bone attachment of tendons and joint capsules. It has an insidious onset and develops slowly. It mainly manifests as a chronic disease, pannus-like destructive inflammation, which gradually spreads upward from the sacroiliac joint to other segments of the spine, and finally causes bony ankylosis and deformity.

It is called ankylosing spondylosis because in the late stages of the disease the joints fuse together and lose their mobility, making the spine like a single bone, unable to bend or move freely.

According to data released by the China Rehabilitation Research Center, the prevalence of ankylosing spondylitis in my country is about 0.3%. The age of onset is generally in late adolescence, with an average age of 23. Experts say that ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease and a rheumatic immune disease. The pathogenesis is related to genetic and environmental factors and is more common in young and middle-aged men. Ankylosing spondylitis cannot be cured at present, and only early detection and early treatment can achieve good results.

Ankylosing spondylitis cannot heal itself

The cause of ankylosing spondylitis is still unclear, but it can be roughly divided into: genetic factors, environmental factors, etc.

Among them, genetic factors play an important role in the onset of ankylosing spondylitis. However, ankylosing spondylitis is not 100% hereditary. In some families, the previous generation suffers from ankylosing spondylitis, but the younger generation is healthy.

In terms of environmental factors, studies have found that microbial infection, especially intestinal microbial infection, may be related to the onset of ankylosing spondylitis; in addition, trauma, endocrine, metabolic disorders and allergic reactions are also suspected to be factors of the disease.

How painful is it to have ankylosing spondylitis? The treatment and onset of ankylosing spondylitis are both very long. You cannot lie down, and in severe cases you may even feel like you are petrified. It also severely compresses various organs and causes multiple complications.

Ankylosing spondylitis cannot heal itself. Once it occurs, it is irreversible. If it is discovered early and treated regularly, it can control symptoms and improve prognosis, thereby improving and enhancing the patient's quality of life. At present, there are more and more drugs that can be used to treat ankylosing spondylitis. The latest drug treatment method is the use of biological agents, which has significantly improved the treatment efficiency of ankylosing spondylitis.

Ankylosing spondylitis usually has an insidious onset, and many people often mistake it for a common "lumbar muscle strain" and delay the treatment. Long-term maintenance of a posture such as sitting for a long time, long-term exposure to cold and humid environments, or the stimulation of cold water may induce this disease.

Strengthening the self-management of patients with ankylosing spondylitis

If you want to avoid ankylosing spondylitis, it is recommended to avoid sitting in one position for a long time. If you have to sit for a long time, you should get up and move for at least ten minutes every hour. In cold weather, you should keep warm and not choose style over temperature. In addition, it is best to sleep in a lying position and avoid sleeping on a too soft bed.

The "Rheumatology Home Science Team" of Peking Union Medical College Hospital stated that for some patients suffering from ankylosing spondylitis, the disease is well controlled, while for others the disease progresses at an alarming rate.

In fact, for chronic diseases, patient self-management is particularly important.

Not only should we learn to adjust our lifestyle and maintain a good attitude in daily life, and be familiar with self-evaluation of our condition so as to determine the right time to seek medical treatment, we should also understand the value of drug treatment and the benefits of standardized treatment, and master appropriate exercise methods to maximize the maintenance of joint function. In this way, even if we unfortunately suffer from ankylosing spondylitis, we can maintain a relatively normal work and life through good self-management.

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Author: Zhang Mengfan

Source: The Paper, Dazhong.com, Peking Union Medical College Hospital official account

Editor/Gulu