Spondylitis Association of America

Action Alert

Quick Facts About Spondylitis

AS (ankylosing spondylitis) is arthritis of the spine that strikes young people. The typical age of onset is between 17 and 45.
Difficult to diagnose in the early stages, it is the most overlooked cause of persistent back pain in young adults.
AS can also damage other joints such as the hips and shoulders, as well as other areas of the body including the eyes, digestive colon, skin, heart, lungs and peripheral joints.
AS causes pain and spinal stiffness, and, in severe cases, the spine fuses solidly in a forward-stooped posture.
As one form of arthritis, it costs the U.S. economy billions of dollars in costs of care and productivity loss.
AS is expensive, patients have approximately tenfold higher median total healthcare costs than matched controls, study link.

3.2 million adults in the US have axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) which includes both AS & non-radiographic spondylitis. Roughly equal number of men & women have SpA.
The Centers for Disease Control's NHANES study estimates that at least 1.7 million adults in the United States have ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
Ankylosing spondylitis is not a rare disease.
AS is more prevalent than multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis and Lou Gehrig's disease combined.
1 in 150 people globally have axSpA.

The AS Life Impact Survey conducted by the Spondylitis Association of America in 2011 uncovered several key findings on the impact of spondylitis.

AS is difficult to diagnose, often taking up to 10 years from the time a patient first experiences symptoms to the time the patient receives the proper diagnosis.
Six out of ten (61%) reported that they began experiencing symptoms by age 29.
More than half (54%) were not diagnosed with AS until at least five years after their symptoms first appeared; three out of ten (30%) endured symptoms for more than ten years before they were diagnosed.
Six out of ten (62%) were diagnosed by age 39.
One in four (24%) saw five or more health professionals in pursuit of a diagnosis.
Six out of ten (62%) were diagnosed by a rheumatologist.

Two out of three (66%) said AS has forced them into a forward-stooped posture to at least some degree.
More than half (55%) said their spine had fused (become rigid) at least partially.

Seven out of ten (71%) surveyed said that back pain or stiffness was one of the symptoms that first caused them to seek treatment.
Three out of ten (29%) said that when their AS pain was at its worst, they were incapacitated and could not move.
Half (51%) said at some point their breathing has been painful or difficult as a result of AS.
Over 56% have taken opioids for pain.

More than four in ten (44%) said they have had to avoid specific careers or jobs because of AS.
One in four (25%) said they have had to change their career or job because of AS.
One out of six (17%) with AS under age 65 described themselves as "not working." Of those, more than six out of ten said AS is the reason they are not working.
One out of eleven (9%) was not working at all because of AS.

Six out of ten (or more) said having AS is at least somewhat limiting with regard to getting into a car (70%), walking (64%), and having a satisfying sex life (58%).
Eight out of ten (82%) said having AS is at least somewhat limiting with regard to getting a good night's sleep.
More inpatient hospital admissions (twice the rate), emergency department visits (23% vs 15% control group), hospital-based outpatient visits 68% vs 46%), and medication use (97% vs 82%).study link.

More than eight out of ten (83%) had taken prescription medication in the prior year to manage their AS.
Almost half (48%) had taken over-the-counter medication in the prior year to manage their AS.
Six out of ten (62%) had done yoga, swimming, walking or other sports in the prior year to manage their AS.
Six out of ten (59%) said a rheumatologist is the type of physician primarily in charge of treating their AS.

1 in 4 adults in the USA has doctor-diagnosed arthritis and an estimated 78 million Americans will have the disease in the next two decades (by 2040)
The overall economic burden associated with arthritis is $300 billion annually. To put this into perspective, the annual economic cost of arthritis surpasses that of tobacco-related health effects, cancer, and diabetes.
The country’s leading cause of disability, arthritis, limits the type or amount of work for 1 out of 3 working-age adults (18-65 years) with the disease.
Arthritis contributes to more than 750,000 hip and knee replacements every year, some of which could be avoided with proper disease management.
12.4% (5.2 million) hispanic adults reported doctor-diagnosed arthritis between 2019-2021. Click here for more on CDC estimates including by race and ethnicity.