Ankylosing Spondylitis: The Facts

Dr. Muhammad Asim Khan has been one of the world's leading authorities on ankylosing spondylitis for decades. He has also lived with the condition since age 12. That combination of clinical expertise and personal experience makes this book something genuinely unusual: a patient guide that knows both the medicine and the reality of living with inflammatory spine disease from the inside.

If you've been diagnosed with AS, this book will help you understand what's actually happening in your body — the role of HLA-B27, why your spine is affected the way it is, what symptoms to watch for beyond back pain, and what treatment options are available. It also covers the parts of daily life that AS touches: exercise, physical therapy, work, fertility, relationships. You'll finish it with a clearer picture of your condition and a stronger foundation for conversations with your rheumatologist.

A note: this edition was published in 2002, so treatment options have expanded considerably since then, particularly with newer biologics and JAK inhibitors. Use it as a foundation for understanding your condition, and supplement with current clinical guidance. If you'd like the most up-to-date version, Dr. Khan has also published a 2023 edition covering axial spondyloarthritis — also available here.