Rheumatic illness: The Ankylosing Spondylitis Association of Ireland (ASAI) is holding a series of information meetings in Galway, Cork and Dublin on Ankylosing Spondylitis, or AS, a painful and progressive rheumatic disease.
The meetings will update those with an interest in Ankylosing Spondylitis on new developments in the treatment and management of the condition.
Consultant rheumatologists including Dr Conor McCarthy, Dr Robert Coughlan and Dr Mark Phelan will be addressing the meetings in Dublin, Galway and Cork, respectively. The meetings will also be addressed by a physiotherapist and by a member of the ASAI who will talk about their own experiences of AS.
Often called the sleeping disease because of the difficulties in diagnosis, for many young people, the symptoms of AS can often be confused with sports injuries.
The disease is characterised by stiffness in the lower back and joints at onset, but can progress to severe inflammation in and around the spine as well as in other joints thereby causing extreme pain, stiffness and fatigue.
In the most advanced cases the inflammation can create scarring in the tissues around the spine that leads to new-bone formation. This forces the vertebrae to fuse together, leading to the formation of a long, bony spinal column.
"Ankylosing Spondylitis is a relatively common inflammatory condition of the spine which characteristically affects young people and can result in significant pain, stiffness and deformity with associated disability. Up until recently, treatment has been symptomatic only with an exercise programme required to help maintain spinal movements. The advent of newer treatments can often result in a dramatic symptom relief. Long-term preservation of spinal function and improvements in quality of life are other important potential benefits of these new treatments," says Dr McCarthy.
The meetings, which are being supported by an educational grant from Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, will be held in:
Health professionals or those with AS wishing to attend these meetings should contact either Suzanne or Marie on 01 678 8330, or e-mail AS@kinman.ie to register.