Is Ankylosing spondylitis inherited ?
Is ankylosing spondylitis inherited? Although ankylosing spondylitis (AS) can affect more than one person in a family, it is not a purely genetic disease. While genes seem to play a role, the exact cause of AS is not known. It is considered to be multifactorial, which means that multiple genetic and environmental factors likely interact to affect a person's risk to develop AS. Most of these factors have not been identified. Inheriting a genetic variation that has been associated with AS does not mean a person will develop AS. Currently, it is not possible to predict the exact likelihood that the children of an affected person will develop the disease. You can find more information about the genetics of AS from Genetics Home Reference, the U.S National Library of Medicine's Web site for consumer information about genetic conditions and the genes or chromosomes related to those conditions.