Ankylosing Spondylitis; Symptoms, Treatments, Causes And More

Diagnosis And Assessment Of Pain

Diagnostics include the evaluation of clinical criteria and radiological criterion. Clinical measures include assessment of pain, stiffness, and range of motion evaluations. Additionally, lab tests will be conducted, which include blood work that will search for genetic markers such as HLA-B27. X-rays are used to determine the stage of the disease. In earlier cases, when AS is suspected, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to detect inflammation of the sacroiliac joints. Doctors will also rule out other diseases that sometimes present with similar symptoms. Whipple disease and Paget's disease cause sacroiliac erosions as seen in AS. Tuberculosis and Brucellosis may also affect the SI joints. Rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and degenerative joint disease must also be ruled out.