Ankylosing Spondylitis What to check for

Ankylosing spondylitis can be diagnosed by clinical symptom evaluation, blood examination, imaging examination, physical examination, etc. 1. Clinical symptom evaluation Ask the patient in detail about the symptoms, including pain and stiffness in the lower back or buttocks, especially after morning or sedentary, which can be relieved after activity, and may be accompanied by swelling and pain in peripheral joints. 2. Blood tests such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein and other inflammatory indicators usually increase during disease activity; HLAB27 detection has certain reference value for diagnosis, but it is not the only basis for diagnosis, because only some patients with ankylosing spondylitis carry this gene. 3. Pelvic X-ray can observe the changes of sacroiliac joint, early stage can be manifested as blurred sacroiliac joint surface, bone erosion, etc., late stage can be seen joint space stenosis, rigidity and other typical manifestations; magnetic resonance imaging is more sensitive to the diagnosis of early sacroiliac arthritis, can find bone marrow edema and other inflammatory manifestations; computed tomography is more clear to observe the bone structure changes of sacroiliac joint. 4. Physical examination to check the movement of the spine, such as bending, leaning back, lateral bending and other movement restrictions, as well as thoracic movement, can assist in diagnosis. If there are symptoms of suspected ankylosing spondylitis, the patient should go to the hospital as soon as possible for the above examination, which helps to clarify the cause in time and deal with it as soon as possible.