Axial Spondyloarthritis

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a form of inflammatory arthritis that causes significant and long-lasting back pain.¹ It is an umbrella term for ankylosing spondylitis (AS), where changes to the spine and joints can be seen on X-ray, and non-radiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA), where symptoms are present without any X-ray change.¹

AxSpA affects 1 in 200 adults in the UK and typically starts in the late teens or early twenties.¹ Men often experience a more progressive form of the disease, whereas women experience worsened disease activity and quality of life.²

As well as back pain and stiffness, symptoms may also include weight loss, fatigue and feeling feverish.¹ While there is not yet a cure for axSpA, patients can relieve pain, swelling and other associated symptoms with exercise, physiotherapy, and treatment.³

In the UK, the average delay from when symptoms first appear to diagnosis is 8.5 years, by which irreversible damage to the spine may have occurred.¹ This is why UCB supports the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society on its Act on axial SpA campaign, which seeks to reduce the time to diagnosis to one year. As well as this, we remain dedicated to working with the axSpA community to explore transformative solutions that relieve the burden of axSpA.

To learn more about axSpA, head to the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society.

If you’re a healthcare professional and want to learn more about UCB in axSpA, head to UCBCares.

_{1 National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society. What is Axial SpA? Available at: https://nass.co.uk/about-as/what-is-axialspa/. Last accessed: December 2024.}

_{2 Rusman T, van Vollenhoven RF and van der Horst-Bruinsma IE. Gender Differences in Axial Spondyloarthritis: Women Are Not So Lucky. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2018;20(6):35.}

_{3 Arthritis Foundation. Ankylosing Spondylitis & Nonradiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis. Available at: https://www.arthritis.org/diseases/ankylosing-spondylitis. Last accessed: December 2024.}

IE-DA-2400185 | December 2024