Axial spondyloarthritiscan be considered a subset of spondyloarthritis.
Ankylosing spondylitisis generally considered a specific and severe subset of axial spondyloarthritis.
Verywell / JR Bee
Spondyloarthropathies
Spondyloarthropathiesare the broadest definition of the disorder.
Verywell / JR Bee
They are a group of related inflammatory illnesses with some overlapping characteristics in terms of symptoms and genetic links.
Overall, these related conditions are believed to affect up to 2% of the population.
Axial vs. Inaxial spondyloarthritis, the arthritis symptoms affect the axial joints.
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These joints are found in the spine, chest, and the sacroiliac joint (hip bone).
Some people with axial spondyloarthritis have problems with one or more of their peripheral joints as well.
Ankylosing spondylitis is considered an advanced or severe form of axial spondyloarthritis.
People with ankylosing spondylitis experienceinflammatory back pain.
Historically,X-rayswere an important part of diagnosing the condition.
These are the joints where the lower part of the spine (the sacrum) connects to the pelvis.
However, those peopledidhave inflammation of the sacroiliac joint that could be seen with an MRI scan.
These people were eventually categorized as nrAxSpA.
Yet this may not always happen.
Researchers still aren’t sure how common progression is.
People with nrAxSpA tend to have a shorter length of disease and lower levels of inflammatory markers.
They also tend to have less severe disease.
There may be genetic differences, too, but researchers are still working to understand that.
Currently, thetreatmentof the two conditions is very similar.
Currently, researchers are generally categorizing other classic forms of spondyloarthropathies as kinds ofperipheralspondyloarthropathy.
People with these conditions are generally not considered in the axial spondyloarthritis group.
However, they still do sometimes have symptoms involving the axial joints.
Its often helpful to understand the basic terminology that professionals use to discuss your disease.
Dont hesitate to ask your healthcare provider to explain if you don’t understand it.
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