Treatment Of Ankylosing spondylitis
The objective of therapy is to alleviate your pain and rigidity and to prevent or delay spinal deformity and other fatal complications. Ankylosing spondylitis therapy is most effective before the disease causes irreversible harm to your bones and joints.
The most common treatment options for AS include;
Medications
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs) such as naproxen sodium, ibuprofen, and indomethacin (Indocin) are the medicines most frequently used by ankylosing spondylitis practitioners to alleviate pain and ease discomfort.
If over the counter NSAIDs are not useful, your physician may suggest that you start a biological drug, such as an interleukin 17 (IL-17) inhibitor or a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker. TNF blockers target an inflammatory cell protein in the body while IL-17 inhibitors play a role in protecting your body from infection and also plays an anti-inflammatory part.
Both groups of drugs assist in decreasing pain, rigidity, and swollen or tender joints. They are given intravenously or by injecting the medication under the skin.
The five TNF blocker medications approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to treat ankylosing spondylitis include:
- Infliximab (Remicade)
- Certolizumab pegol (Cimzia)
- Golimumab (Simponi; Simponi Aria)
- Etanercept (Enbrel)
- Adalimumab (Humira)
Secukinumab (Cosentyx) is the first FDA-approved IL-17 inhibitor for treating ankylosing spondylitis. One of the potential side effects of these drugs is that both IL-17 inhibitors and TNF blockers can reactivate latent tuberculosis and make you more likely to become infected.