Inflammation of the joints between the vertebrae in the spine. It is usually caused by osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or ankylosing spondylitis.
Another name for ARTHRITIS of the spine (see SPINE AND SPINAL CORD, DISEASES AND INJURIES OF).
n. inflammation of the synovial joints of the backbone. Ankylosing spondylitis is a *sero-negative arthritis; 90% of cases carry the tissue-type antigen HLA-B27 (see HLA system). Ankylosing spondylitis predominantly affects young adult Caucasian males and the inflammation affects the joint capsules and their attached ligaments and tendons, principally the intervertebral joints and sacroiliac joints (see sacroiliitis). The resultant pain and stiffness are treated by analgesics (including *NSAIDs), physiotherapy, and biological *disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. The disorder can lead to severe deformities of the spine (see kyphosis; ankylosis) and the hip joint, in which case surgical correction or *arthroplasty may be required.
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