is a type of arthritis that causes joint inflammation and back pain and stiffness. Though it’s thought to be most common in white men, the disease also affects women and Black people. And when it does, it may be more serious. It may also be more likely to be overlooked.
It’s often hard for anyone to get an accurate AS diagnosis, since its main symptom – back pain – is so common and has many causes. But racial, gender, and socioeconomic disparities make this process even more challenging.Doctors don’t know exactly how many people live with AS. But estimates show that between 0.9% and 1.4% of adults in the United States have the condition.
With regard to race, AS is more likely to affect white people than Black people. In fact, some older research shows the disease is three times less common in Black Americans as in white ones. It’s very rare in Black Africans with unmixed ancestry. AS symptoms are very similar in men and women. But joint damage doesn’t show up on X-rays in women as often as it does in men, so problems can be harder to spot. Studies also show that women may not respond as well to TNF inhibitors, medicines commonly used to treat AS.