5 ms·

Came here to mention AS and the klebsiella hypothesis. Like you said, nothing conclusive has come out of it (and certainly no evidence of using antibacterial tr

Came here to mention AS and the klebsiella hypothesis. Like you said, nothing conclusive has come out of it (and certainly no evidence of using antibacterial treatment successfully to treat AS), but I still find it super interesting considering the high comorbidity between AS and intestinal diseases like Crohn's and ulcerative colitis. IIRC some of the more recent "AS is a form of reactive arthritis" truthers have focused on gut infections specifically as the pathway. Big grain of salt, of course. Thankfully even if we can't pinpoint its exact etiology we still have a million proven drugs to throw at this thing.

virgulino 4y ago
I started with a diagnosis of reactive arthritis (still called Reiter's Syndrome at the time), after an intestinal infection. After 10 years of feeling fine and unmedicated, but with occasional flare-ups, I suddenly went downhill and my diagnosis was changed to ankylosing spondylitis (modified New York criteria). To my knowledge, there is very little research on the separation or progression between reactive arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.
- spondylosaurus 4y ago
  That's brutal. I hope you're doing alright these days.
  - virgulino 4y ago
    I loved your username "spondylosaurus", it made me laugh, thank you. I wish you well too. Cheers!
- doetoe 4y ago
  I cannot really add anything useful, but my progression was so similar in all senses that I thought I should comment: it started after an intestinal infection I got in India, many different hypotheses until they settled on Reiter's syndrome/reactive arthritis. Then for 12 years I was without real symptoms or medication, though with almost chronic back pain. A new bout 12 years later (knees like grapefruits etc), diagnosed now as ankylosing spondylitis. In fact I had understood that this was a specific form of reactive arthritis (rather than something different), but probably you're right.

virgulino 4y ago

I started with a diagnosis of reactive arthritis (still called Reiter's Syndrome at the time), after an intestinal infection. After 10 years of feeling fine and unmedicated, but with occasional flare-ups, I suddenly went downhill and my diagnosis was changed to ankylosing spondylitis (modified New York criteria). To my knowledge, there is very little research on the separation or progression between reactive arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

spondylosaurus 4y ago
That's brutal. I hope you're doing alright these days.
- virgulino 4y ago
  I loved your username "spondylosaurus", it made me laugh, thank you. I wish you well too. Cheers!
doetoe 4y ago
I cannot really add anything useful, but my progression was so similar in all senses that I thought I should comment: it started after an intestinal infection I got in India, many different hypotheses until they settled on Reiter's syndrome/reactive arthritis. Then for 12 years I was without real symptoms or medication, though with almost chronic back pain. A new bout 12 years later (knees like grapefruits etc), diagnosed now as ankylosing spondylitis. In fact I had understood that this was a specific form of reactive arthritis (rather than something different), but probably you're right.