Symptoms and Complications
AS can cause a variety of different symptoms, but most people with AS have low back pain and stiffness. The stiffness is often worst in the morning and after you have been inactive for a while. The back pain and stiffness can prevent you from moving around comfortably and getting a good night's sleep.
Other joints can also become affected by AS, such as the hips, shoulders, and knees. People with AS can experience fatigue, weight loss, and loss of appetite. The symptoms of AS tend to come and go, with periods without symptoms followed by flare-ups.
AS can cause complications both in the joints and elsewhere in the body, including:
- bent-over or unusually straight posture
- limited mobility (ability to move around)
- eye inflammation (which can cause eye pain, irritation, and sensitivity to light)
- breathing problems due to stiffness in the joints between the spine and the ribs
Very rare complications can include:
- inflammation of the aorta, a large blood vessel that brings blood from the heart to the rest of the body
- heart valve damage
- spinal cord injury due to fractures (breaks) in the spine
- cauda equina syndrome, where AS damages the nerves at the base of the spinal cord, leading to loss of sensation in the buttocks, rectum, thighs, and bladder; or loss of bowel or bladder control