Spondyloarthritis

Spondyloarthritis is a group of diseases that cause inflammation of the spine, joints, tendons, ligaments and surrounding areas. These conditions also can affect the eyes, gut, urinary tract, skin and sometimes the heart and lungs. Spondyloarthritis includes ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and arthritis of inflammatory bowel disease.

In some cases, these diseases are genetic and associated with the gene HLA-B27. They can affect every ethnic group, although they are less common in African Americans who have a lower frequency of HLA-B27. Spondyloarthritis may occur in as many as 13 percent of people with HLA-B27.

At the UCSF Arthritis and Joint Replacement Center, experts diagnose and treat patients with various types of spondyloarthritis. Although symptoms of spondyloarthropathies vary depending on the type of the disease, they commonly include low back pain, family history of the disease, morning stiffness, symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease, joint pain and swelling, a chronic scaly skin rash called psoriasis and tendon inflammation. Treatment also depends on the type of spondyloarthropathy and may include drug therapy, exercise and joint protection.

For more information or to make an appointment, please call:
Rheumatology Clinic (415) 353-2497

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated August 29, 2007