Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Last updated Friday, February 11, 2005

Incidence and risk factors

Who gets ankylosing spondylitis and why?

Symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis appear most frequently in young men between the ages of 16 and 35. It is less common in women, whose symptoms are often milder and more difficult to diagnose.

About five percent of ankylosing spondylitis begins in childhood; boys are more likely to have it than girls. When children develop ankylosing spondylitis, it usually begins in the hips, knees, bottoms of heels, or big toes and may later progress to involve the spine.

The gene is present in eight percent of healthy white Americans and two to three percent of healthy African Americans. About 300,000 Americans (less than one percent of the adult population) have ankylosing spondylitis. The disease is three times more common in whites than in African Americans.

How is ankylosing spondylitis acquired (contagion, genetics, injury, lifestyle, etc)?

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