Ankylosing Spondylitis: The Facts (Oxford Medical Publications) (The ^AFacts Series)

Ankylosing spondilitis is a chronic form of arthritis known to affect around 1 in 200 people (over 1 million sufferers in the USA alone). No cure has yet been found for the disease, however, early diagnosis and proper medical management can be important in reducing the risk of disability and deformity. Ankylosing spondilitis: the facts is the first mass market book to be published on this important disease. It provides clear and accessible information on treatment, diagnosis, genetic counselling, and daily life with this illness. Professor Khan is one of the leading experts in the world on AS, while also suffering from it. This combination of scientific knowledge and personal experience of a debilitating disorder results in a unique book which will prove invaluable for sufferers wishing to know more about their condition, and those that share their lives. Cover......Page 1 Preface......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Contents......Page 12 1. Facts and myths about ankylosing spondylitis......Page 14 2. What is ankylosing spondylitis?......Page 18 3. Early symptoms......Page 26 4. The course of the disease......Page 32 5. Exercise and physical therapy......Page 36 6. Drug therapy......Page 50 7. Nontraditional (complementary, or alternative) therapy......Page 64 8. Surgical treatment......Page 74 9. Some later manifestations......Page 78 10. A typical case history......Page 84 11. Living with ankylosing spondylitis: some hints......Page 88 12. The management of AS: an overview......Page 100 13. The rheumatologist’s role......Page 104 14. Radiology and diagnosis......Page 108 15. The disease process......Page 114 16. HLA-B27 and the cause of ankylosing spondylitis......Page 124 17. Spondyloarthropathies......Page 138 Appendix 1: Ankylosing spondylitis organizations......Page 156 Appendix 2: Glossary......Page 164 References and further reading......Page 186 Index......Page 196 Ankylosing spondilitis is a chronic form of arthritis known to affect around one in 200 people. This book is written by someone who is not only a leading expert on AS, but is affected by it himself