不仅是强直性脊柱炎的后背

了解与经历它们的人一样独特的症状。

经过Lisa M. Basile 卫生作家

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS),a chronic disease that can cause serious pain and immobility in the spine, is sometimes unfairly reduced to “back pain,” even though it’s so much more than that.

“The inflammation caused by AS can cause permanent damage to the whole body,” says Jeffrey Stark, M.D., head of U.S. Medical Immunology at the University of California, Berkeley. “AS can also eventually affect other joints in the body, including the ribs, neck, knees, and feet, and in some cases, the eyes, lungs, and heart.”

随着越来越多的研究,医学界给了很多名字,以准确描述它如何影响整个身体 - 因此,为一些舌头扭曲做好了准备:就像一个称为Spondyloarthropathies的疾病家族的一部分(温泉)。水疗中心有两种类型:AXSPA(这意味着在成像中可以看到损害,例如MRI)和NR-AXSPA(这意味着在成像中也看不到损害,即使是症状,也不会看到损害)。这有点令人困惑,但是如果您听到某人将强直性脊柱炎称为轴向脊柱炎(AXSPA)或放射线照相水疗中心,它们都是正确的。

水疗伞下的其他疾病包括银屑病关节炎,反应性关节炎,炎症性肠病(IBD)相关关节炎以及未分化的脊椎关节炎,这也是为什么有时可能涉及肠道和皮肤的原因。

It’s not entirely understood why people experience such different AS symptoms, but it’s clear that AS plays out differently in everyone. With its unpredictable nature, one person with AS might complain of knee pain, while another can’t bend down to pick up the kids or pull hair from the shower drain.

To keep you one step ahead and stay prepared for the unexpected, here’s how AS could affect different parts of the body:

如何影响您的…脊柱和Si关节

由于主要影响臀部上方和骨盆周围的脊柱和si骨(SI)关节。当您的Si关节发炎时,它可能会导致关节僵硬,使其难以坐着,走路,躺下或走路而没有li行的行走(这就是为什么当患者经常形容他们的疾病时感觉就像是“锡人”的原因耀斑。)甚至可能导致一条腿比另一只腿更长。

由于骨质疏松症,脑脊液(导致脊柱曲率)和狭窄(会削弱和狭窄的脊柱,抑制神经)引起的炎症导致脊柱骨折。

在严重的情况下,“由于炎症症状会导致脊柱中的椎骨在固定的,不动的位置融合,从而导致移动性和柔韧性丧失,从而导致弯曲的姿势。这是一种被称为强直病的过程。” Stark博士说。

如何影响您的眼睛

他们说眼睛是灵魂的窗户。就AS而言,这绝对是正确的,因为眼睛经常向医生提示体内发生的事情。“可能引起眼睛的炎症,称为葡萄膜炎,”纽约州源自西奈山拿骚山风湿病学主任Stuart D. Kaplan说。

Uveitis is an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye, causing light sensitivity, stinging, throbbing pain, redness, and blurred vision. It is a leading cause of blindness when left untreated.

您可能想知道脊柱疾病如何引起眼睛问题。因为作为一种全身性疾病,炎症(由灾难性的免疫系统攻击本身引起)在体内不受限制。这种炎症常常直接直接向眼睛。

葡萄膜炎会影响40% of AS patients并且很常见于对测试阳性的患者HLAB27遗传标记。这个遗传标记只是一种诊断工具,这是什么值得的。并非每个具有AS测试的人都对其进行呈阳性,并且许多对其进行测试的人仍然可以使用。我们知道,这令人困惑。

卡普兰博士说:“它可以来来往往,有时就是这样。”“我们从眼科医生那里得到推荐,发送[病人]to us to rule out rheumatic disease.” So, if you’ve got a painful red eye, see your doctor ASAP.

How AS Affects Your… Hips

大约四分之一的患者会遇到髋关节疼痛和不动,这就是为什么您坐在狭窄的宿舍(例如飞机的小座椅或汽车)的原因可能是一场噩梦。一项研究韩国内科杂志found that the longer a person has the disease, the likelier they were to experience hip issues, sometimes even requiring hip replacement surgery. The reason: The inflammation in AS causes bone erosion and joint space narrowing within the hips.

不过,并非每个人都会有严重的髋关节参与。该期刊发现,更高的体重指数,严重的髋关节炎和需要进行髋关节置换手术之间的联系 - 这就是为什么如果有的话,它如此关键。

不过,臀部疼痛是偷偷摸摸的。您可以在腹股沟,膝盖,甚至大腿的前部感觉到它。根据美国脊柱炎协会的说法,这称为“转介疼痛”,它可以使事情变得更加复杂。

如何影响您的…

说什么?!我们知道,这是一口气:恩斯丝是关节胶囊,肌腱和韧带连接到骨骼的地方,例如膝盖,脚,脚跟,后背和其他地方。患有经常会经常会经常出现嫩热的斑点或发炎,被称为肠炎。肠炎在不同的地方弹出(由于炎症,再次!),因此,如果它在爆炸中移动,请不要感到惊讶。

哦,那你有超大的脚趾?肠炎可能是文档所谓的“香肠数字”的背后,这只是描述发炎的脚趾或手指的一种非常无关紧要的方式。

如何影响您的肠道

You are what you eat, they say—and that’s because the gut-joint axis has real implications on your health. While you may not think of the gut when you think of arthritis, an estimated 5% to 10% of AS patients experience inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which can include Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis. This is why so many AS patients are exploring an抗炎饮食,以及为什么这么多医生正在探索link between gut bacteria and AS

斯塔克解释说:“一个经典的假设是,当肠道打破某些传播到血液的细菌时,这会触发免疫反应的变化。”相同的细菌及其影响免疫系统的方式也可能是炎症性肠病疾病的背后,例如克罗恩斯和溃疡性结肠炎。

即使您没有IBD,肠道也会发炎,会引起每天的肚子麻烦,例如抽筋和腹泻。新的评论自然甚至发现大多数具有亚临床肠道炎症的欧洲人。

How AS Affects Your… Heart and Lungs

可能涉及心脏和肺部,但幸运的是,这并不常见。根据大约2%至10%的患者发生临床医学研究杂志,,,,inflammation can spread to the aorta, which is your body’s main artery.

卡普兰博士说,这可能导致各种心脏健康问题,例如主动脉炎。“这不是很常见,但确实会发生。风湿病学家应该听到心脏杂音,并且[患者]可能一直感到疲倦和呼吸,尤其是在劳累时。”您的文档可能甚至可能在诊断之前检测到心脏问题。

People with AS may also experience lung complications due to the chronic inflammation—but don’t worry; these complications are also rare. They may include infections, collapsed lungs, sleep apnea, fibrosis, and restriction of the chest wall, according to the journal胸部医学诊所。AS may also make it so your winter chest cold takes, well,foreverto go away. Oh, and if you’re a smoker, quit. Smoking worsens AS symptoms and complicates any lung issues you might have.

如何影响您的神经

卡普兰说:“这可能导致脊髓神经的撞击。”“这称为Cauda Equina,它会导致膀胱,肠子和性功能的问题。”

This condition is rare, and typically happens to those who have severe AS. This is because as the disease progresses, extra bone can develop between the vertabrea, pressing on and pinching the spinal nerves at the base of your spine. Tissues affected by inflammation can also press on nerve roots in the spine, according to the风湿病学杂志

如何影响您的胸部

一种有些可怕的并发症会影响约20%的患者?cost炎是肋骨和胸骨之间软骨的炎症。这种疾病会导致剧烈的疼痛和紧绷,可以模仿心脏病发作甚至肺部炎症。这通常会使深吸一口气很难。即使在爆发过程中很常见cost炎,但如果您遇到这些症状,请与医生联系仍然是明智的。

How AS Affects Your… Brain

总是感到筋疲力尽?您可能患有与之相关的疲劳,这太普遍了,可能会令人衰弱。这种疲劳并非全部都在您的脑海中,而是在您的大脑中:患有强烈疲劳的人表现出明显更大的左丘脑量,这表明与神经心理学成分一样。医学领域。不幸的是,疲劳是患者中常见的抱怨。该研究发现,多达86%的患者经历了它,其中32%的人报告严重疲劳。

Kaplan also notes that some AS patients may have secondary fibromyalgia, a disorder marked by all-over musculoskeletal pain and other issues, which is also known to cause fatigue.

An Invisible Illness

最后,重要的是要记住,由于对每个人的影响都不同,而且由于患者的旅程或经验都不会与其他人相同。斯塔克博士说,尽管许多患有可见残疾的人,但许多人没有。“It’s the small things patients go through that others never notice that make the disease very severe, such as walking with a limp because you need to reduce the pressure and pain on your right hip, standing in a shower for an elongated period to run hot water on your back in hopes to ease the tension on your spine, or even interrupting your sleep schedule so you move your body around and prevent yourself from getting stuck in place while lying in the same position.”

没有已知的AS治疗方法,但是有些药物可以减缓疾病进展并恢复生活质量。

除药物外,卡普兰还可以通过其他方法来管理自己的AS,“定期运动,保持健康的体重,吃健康的饮食,避免吸烟并避免压力,因为它会加剧自身免疫性状况。”

与AS一起生活可能并不容易,但是动手的,有意的方法可以帮助您今天管理它,并且明天将为您的健康带来红利。

认识我们的作家
Lisa M. Basile

丽莎·玛丽·巴西勒(Lisa Marie Basile)(她/她)是一位卫生作家,慢性病倡导者,也是一些诗歌和非小说书籍的作者,包括黑暗时代的轻魔。她的作品出现在纽约时报,,,,自己,,,,HealthCentral, Healthline, Health Union, and more. She was previously an editor at The Vitamin Shoppe. She can be found on Instagram and Twitter at @lisamariebasile.