What is systemic inflammatory arthritis?

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Systemic inflammatory arthritis is a medical condition where your body starts to attack the lining inside your joints, causing inflammation. This type of condition is often called a rheumatologic disease, or an autoimmune disease. This process usually happens slowly but over time it can cause quite a bit of damage in some of your joints. This can happen all over your body, including in your spine.

There are different types of systemic inflammatory arthritis. One of the most common types that affect the spine is called ankylosing spondylitis. Ankylosing spondylitis can cause pain and stiffness in the lower back. This stiffness is usually worse in the morning and can take an hour or more to go away. There can also be other symptoms like pain in other joints, eye problems, urinary problems, and systemic problems like fatigue. The exact cause of ankylosing spondylosis is not known but it may run in families. It is most often diagnosed in younger males. This disorder is not very common and less than five percent of the general public will ever have it.

Only your doctor will know for certain if you have ankylosing spondylosis. Your doctor will usually order X-rays, an MRI, or CT scan if ankylosing spondylitis is suspected. Your doctor may also order blood tests. Together, these results might help your doctor decide if you might have this condition.

 
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