Severe Ankylosing Spondylitis Characteristics
Patients with
crippling joint pain caused by severe cases of ankylosing spondylitis
tend to have several distinctive characteristics:
- A
"curled forward" posture - the chin-to-chest stance - which
results in a persistent downward gaze
- Brittle
bones in the spine that are prone to fractures
- Significantly
limited mobility and movement, such that the patient is permanently
disabled.
As the disease
progresses from the low back all the way up the spinal column, patients are at
risk of developing significant complications that can increase the pain and
disability already experienced. Potential complications include:
- Cauda
equina syndrome, which can cause pervasive extremity numbness, weakness and bowel
or bladder dysfunction
- Spondylodiscitis, an
inflammation of the intervertebral disc caused by the hardening of the
fibrous tissue that encompasses the disc
- Limited
chest expansion, which may impact the ability to breathe freely.
These
complications are quite rare and are generally only seen in the most severe
cases of ankylosing spondylitis.
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