Spondylitis is an inflammation of the
vertebra
Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spina ...
e. It is a form of
spondylopathy. In many cases, spondylitis involves one or more
vertebral joints, as well, which itself is called
spondylarthritis.
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Types
Pott disease
Pott's disease, or Pott disease, named for British surgeon Percivall Pott who first described the symptoms in 1799, is tuberculosis of the vertebral column, spine, usually due to haematogenous spread from other sites, often the lungs. The lowe ...
is a tuberculous disease of the vertebrae marked by stiffness of the
vertebral column
The spinal column, also known as the vertebral column, spine or backbone, is the core part of the axial skeleton in vertebrates. The vertebral column is the defining and eponymous characteristic of the vertebrate. The spinal column is a segmente ...
, pain on motion, tenderness on pressure, prominence of certain vertebral spines, and occasionally abdominal pain, abscess formation, and paralysis.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a form of arthritis that primarily affects the spine, although other joints can become involved. It causes inflammation of the spinal joints (vertebrae) that can lead to severe, chronic pain and discomfort. In more advanced cases this inflammation can lead to ankylosis—new bone formation in the spine causing sections of the spine to fuse in a fixed, immobile position.
A combination of spondylitis and inflammation of the
intervertebral disc space is termed a
spondylodiscitis.
References
National Institutes of Health
External links
National Institutes of Health
{{Authority control
Vertebral column disorders
Orthopedic problems