AS....!! Death issues...

ILL be greatly Obliged* sorries..!! :-) 

AS Should not greatly affect age of death -

My father is 70 - was diagnosed at 20 - still fit smoked until age 65.

The pointer is the pension provision for RA is that they pay out higher due to expected shorter life span.  For AS there is no such provision as life expectancy in not reduced.

Good grief! Why the panic mode?

You don't die of AS.

The progression of ankylosing spondylitis varies greatly between patients. For some people it is very mild, while others will experience increasing pain and loss of mobility. It can usually be slowed significantly with treatment, but untreated can lead to life threatening conditions. This disease starts in the sacroiliac joint in your lower back, where the spine attaches to your pelvis. Later, there are changes that progress up the spine causing stiffness. 

Over time, ankylosing spondylitis can affect the heart, lungs, and eyes. Some individuals will get inflammation in the lining of the eye causing redness while being inflamed and painful--an ophthalmologist will prescribe steroid drops. This condition, called uveitis, occurs in about 30 percent of people who have AS.

Boney growth and tense muscles may prevent the vertebrae from moving independently. Some individuals can eventually lose the ability to inhale deeply and expand their chest--Fibrotic changes in the upper lobes of the lungs creating conduction abnormalities, and irregularities in the rhythm of the heart,I would guess that few people die of AS, but more commonly it may contribute to one's passing.

Was it Confucius (Kung-Fu-Shus) who stated: "He who knows how to live, knows not of death."