Ankylosing spondilitis is a chronic form of arthritis which is known to affect around 1 in 200 people. A new addition to the authoritative The Facts series, this is the first mass market book to be published on this crippling disease. Written by someone who is not only a leading expert on ankylosing spondilitis, but a sufferer, this invaluable guide offers a unique combination of personal experience and scientific knowledge.

1. Facts and myths about ankylosing spondylitis 2. What is ankylosing spondylitis 3. Early symptoms 4. The course of the disease 5. Exercise and physical therapy 6. Drug therapy 7. Nontraditional (complementary, or alternative) therapy 8. Surgical treatment 9. Some later manifestations 10. A typical case history 11. Living with ankylosing spondylitis: some hints 12. The management of AS: an overview 13. The rheumatologist's role 14. Radiology and diagnosis 15. The disease process 16. HLA-B27 and the cause of ankylosing spondylitis 17. Spondyloarthropathies Appendix 1Ankylosing spondylitis organizations Appendix 2Glossary References and further reading

Muhammad Asim Khan , Professor of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, USA