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About Ankylosing Spondylitis and NASS
AS Overview :
AS is an arthritis-family disease involving painful, inflamed and stiff
skeletal joints, primarily affecting the spine but sometimes affecting
peripheral joints too, and with a tendency to lead to a degree of fusion
of those joints. Sufferers can become quite stooped if they're not lucky
and careful. There are also a number of "fellow-traveller" symptoms
and conditions that sufferers can be prone to develop along with the AS.
There is no "cure" as yet, but there are a number of drug
treatments which help some patients to some degree. Most patients will
find some benefit from one drug or another, but complete remission of
symptoms is rare. More importantly with the current state of the art,
physiotherapy & hydrotherapy - or exercise & swimming - provide
significant benefit for almost all patients, and can help many live an
effectively unfettered life.
Doing something about it :
Because we're all lazier about getting enough exercise than we should
be (go on - admit it), local NASS groups are focused largely around
promoting group exercise sessions in an encouraging atmosphere. North
Bristol NASS is no exception.
If you have AS and are in our area, come along to our
weekly exercise sessions - you'll be
glad you did.
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HLA-B27 And AS
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The disease is an auto-immune disease (the body attacks itself), and
the precise mechanisms are still not fully understood.
A large proportion
(~95%) of people with AS carry a particular gene marker known as HLA-B27
- much larger than the proportion of the general population who carry
this marker. However some people with the marker don't go on to
develop AS, and some people without the marker do develop AS.
Many people infer from this that there must also be an environmental
factor involved with AS.
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Further Information :
There's a lot more information about AS at the main NASS site,
here
.
If you would like to make a donation to the group, please contact us for ways to donate IF you are a UK tax payer make use of the "Gift Aid Scheme" this allows us to claim extra money from the chancellor without costing you a penny extra!
If you are a business and would like to donate goods or services for our regular fundraising events we will be very happy to arrange collection where needed, we are creating a sponsors page with links to all organisations who are able to support us in any way.
We are an entirely charitable organisation both locally (all voluntary) and nationally, without goodwill and donations we could not provide the highly valued services that we do at present.
PLEASE SUPPORT US.
Thank You.
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