Education Talk
Ankylosing spondylitis management
15 July, 2017
Hong Kong Arthritis & Rheumatism Foundation (HKARF) and Community Rehabilitation Network of the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation (CRN) jointly organized a talk “Understanding and controlling ankylosing spondylitis” on 15 July at LT2, CityU SCOPE TST East Learning Centre . There were a total of 120 participants on that day.
Dr. Yip Man Lung Ronald, a rheumatologist, has been invited to be the guest speaker to introduce the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). According to Dr. Yip, the onset of AS usually start before 30 years of age. People with HLAS-B27 antigen are found to have a higher incidence rate than the general public who are not carrying this antigen. At the early stage, inflammation often occurs at the sacroiliac joint. As the disease progresses, the movement of the lumbar spine will have been limited and eventually the spinal mobility will be lost. In addition, AS patients will also experience inflammation of other organs and system, such as cardiovascular system, lung and gastrointestinal tract. The quality of life of the affected patients is directly affected by the disease.
Since joint strain and AS share similar symptoms, AS patients are often misdiagnosed with joint strain, leading to the delay in treatment. In fact, the two diseases are not exactly the same. For example, stretching exercise helps AS patients relive pain but aggravate the condition of joint strain. AS can be diagnosed through clinical examination, Schober’s Test, blood test and imaging test. Treatments of AS include surgery and medication, for example biologics, steroids, pain killers and NSAIDs. Dr. Yip reminded the participants to seek medical consultation when AS is suspected.
The talk gave the public a better understanding of AS. Participants were satisfied with the contents and arrangements of the talk, and looking forward to the upcoming talks on related topics.
The talk was supported by Novartis Pharmaceuticals (hk) Ltd.
