![]() ![]() The reason for this belief is because of the way the numbers stack up. Studies show that additional factors-likely environmental-must be present in order for the disease to manifest. Of course, having this gene isn’t necessarily a sentence for developing AS. ![]() In doing so, our understanding of the gene’s association with this condition has improved dramatically. In recent years, the medical community has developed blood tests to screen for this gene. The vast majority of AS patients are those who were born with the gene HLA-B27. The medical community widely believes that ankylosing spondylitis develops because of a genetic predisposition. The spine develops a bamboo-like appearance because of the joining of adjacent discs. Indeed, this is where the term “bamboo spine” comes from. More accurately, AS causes the exterior fibers of the annulus fibrosus in our intervertebral discs to ossify, which leads to a spine that appears fused between each vertebra. In fact, when vertebrae completely fuse together, this is known as ankylosis. In rare cases, AS may even cause the spinal vertebrae to fuse. AS leads to spine-stiffening and inflammation in the joints. Usually, AS attacks the spine and sacroiliac joints, but it can also adversely affect other joints and organs as well. Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects multiple systems throughout the body. ![]()
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