M08.12: Juvenile ankylosing spondylitis Upper arm

You have Bechterew’s disease.

Bechterew’s disease is a rheumatic disorder. It appeared before you were 16.

A rheumatic disease can affect the entire body. There may be inflammation in the bones, the connective tissue, and the joints. The symptoms can be more and less severe. It is thought that rheumatic diseases are caused by a person’s immune system producing antibodies against their own body. These antibodies attack the body’s own tissue. The tissue can get inflamed and damaged as a result.

With Bechterew’s disease, joints in the spinal column become inflamed.

The spine is made up of the individual vertebrae. Between every 2 vertebrae there is a vertebral disc. At the top and bottom of each there are 2 transverse processes. Along with the processes of adjacent vertebrae, these transverse processes form the small vertebral joints. The vertebral joints connect adjacent vertebrae to one another.

The joints that connect the spinal column to the pelvic bones can also be inflamed. The inflammation in the joints in your spine may make your spine more stiff. As a result, you may no longer be able to move your spine so well.

You also have an inflamed joint in your elbow.

3 bones meet at the elbow. These are the humerus and the two bones in the forearm. These are called the ulna and the radius. In the elbow there are several joints between these 3 bones. This is how we are not only able to bend and stretch the arm, but also able to twist the forearm, for example when driving in a screw.

An inflammation in the joints can cause various symptoms. Typical is a swollen, painful joint. The skin above the joint may also be red. It may also no longer be possible to move the joint as usual.