Posted , 7 users are following.
I have AS been diagnosed for 6 months - I inject humria and take methotrexate, I currently am housebound as I cannot walk due to stiffness and pain which is ruining my once upon active life! I also need to urinate up to 6 times a night which is driving me crazy? Can anyone relate to any of my symptoms
1 like, 17 replies
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peter21326 L4ren1
Posted
Hi Linda,
? Your symptoms are similar to those suffered by victims of AS. However, it is extremely variable from person to person. There is a blood marker called HLA-B27 which is suggestive of the family of AS diseases. It is not a diagnosis by itself, though, since a small percentage of the general public can also test positive to HLA-B27 without any indication of AS. X-RAY and MRI are also used to diagnose AS since it leaves a telltale mark on the spine and SI joints. However, many people have AS symptoms and are positive with HLA-B27 without the MRI evidence. AS, by definition, requires the MRI evidence but you can still have what is called axial spondyloarthropathy or spondyloarthritis. That is why I referred to a "family of diseases" rather than one distinct malady. Diagnosis of autoimmune diseases is often as much an art as it is a science and diagnosing AS or spondyloarthropathy is especially tough and frustrating. Get a good rheumatologist who is very familiar with AS and ask about HLA-B27 and imaging studies like X-RAYS or better yet MRI. That will at least be a start. Best of luck.
linda17563 peter21326
Posted
Yes, I think it isn`t an exact science to diagnose these conditions, so must be frustrating for rheumies as well as us ....
I have had an MRI recently and I`m due to discuss this with my doctor (don`t go back to hospital till May).....
I have another Rheumatologist, because I asked for a second opinion, he wants to see how I respond by putting me back up on the steroids, but they have hardly touched me, and I`m not going higher!......it seems I may have wasted 5 years of steroids and all the affects that go with them!
I wil ask about the blood marker.......thank very much for all the above.