Autoimmune & Inflammation

Ankylosing Spondylitis

A polyarthritis involving the spine, Ankylosing Spondylitis is characterized by progressive, painful stiffening of the joints and ligaments. It almost exclusively affects young men. Ankylosing spondylitis affects about 0.5 percent of people of Western European descent. This disorder occurs twice as often in men as in women, and symptoms tend to be more severe in men.

Arthritis

Arthritis is an inflammatory condition that affects the joints. It is an autoimmune disease because the body attacks healthy tissues instead of foreign substances. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes inflammation of joints and surrounding tissues, often affecting other organs. The cause is unknown. The course and severity of the illness varies considerably, with infection, genes and hormones contributing to the gravity of the disease. RA commonly affects joints on both sides of the body equally, with the wrists, fingers, knees, feet and ankles of the patient primarily affected.