What is spondylitis?
Spondylitis (pronounced spon-d-lie-tiss) is the name given to a group of chronic or long lasting diseases also called Spondyloarthritis (SpA), (spon-dyl-oh-arthritis) or Spondyloarthropathy (spon-d-low-are-throp-ah-thee).

This group of diseases primarily affect the spine (spondylo) and other joints. The group includes: ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis (formerly Reiter's syndrome), psoriatic arthritis, enteropathic arthritis (spondylitis/arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease), and undifferentiated SpA. All display a variety of symptoms and signs, but they also share many features in common, including:

• A tendency toward inflammatory arthritis of the spine, sacroiliac and other joints of the body
  
  
• A condition called enthesopathy, which is an inflammation where the ligaments attach to the bone
  
  
• A tendency to occur in more than one family member
  
  

A diagram of the spondylitis / spondyloarthritis group of diseases

• The absence of physical signs or testing markers that are found in other types of arthritis, such as sub-cutaneous nodules (or lumps under the skin) and a positive blood test for the rheumatoid factor
  
  

The complete medical term for this group of diseases is the "seronegative" spondyloarthritides. "Sero" refers to blood (blood serum) and "negative" indicates that there is usually no rheumatoid factor present in the blood.

Most types of SpA begin around the ages of 15-35. Men are more likely to get SpA. Psoriatic arthritis, which affects men and women equally, is the exception. These conditions include spinal involvement and those affected tend to have the gene that makes a protein called HLA-B27.

Free Action Plan to Manage Spondylitis - Click Here

Most people with spondylitis lead long and productive lives. Certain complications, however, can lead to disability. It is important to be on the lookout for signs and symptoms of the more serious complications.

The Prevalence of Spondylitis
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the National Arthritis Data Workgroup estimates that ankylosing spondylitis and its related diseases affect as many as 2.4 million people in the United States. It should be noted that rheumatoid arthritis only affects 1.3 million adults, down from the previous estimate of 2.1 million.

For more information on the prevalence of spondylitis and other rheumatic diseases, please see: Estimates of the Prevalence of Arthritis and Other Rheumatic Conditions in the United States.

More Information
Although there is currently no known cure, there is much you can do to educate yourself regarding spondylitis and its treatments (click here if you have been recently diagnosed). There have been significant advancements in medical treatments during recent years and there are treatment options for those afflicted that can reduce the pain and symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis and related diseases. For more specific information, please see the links below and those to the left.

Treatment Information >>>    Treatment Overview, Exercise & Posture

Spondyloathritis: A Family Of Related Diseases    Ankylosing Spondylitis >>>    Undifferentiated Spondyloarthropathy >>>    Juvenile Spondyloarthropathy >>>    Psoriatic Arthritis >>>    Reactive Arthritis >>>    Enteropathic Arthritis >>>