The road to a standard medical treatment for patients with ankylosing spondylitis and non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis — a practical guide

Axial spondyloarthritis affects 0.1% to 1% of the general population, depending on the source. Unfortunately, despite new diagnostic criteria, also adapted to non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis, and advances in imaging modalities (widespread use of magnetic resonance imaging), the late diagnosis of the disease and, therefore, a delay in starting therapy still pose a serious problem. On average, the time between the first symptoms of the disease and its diagnosis is several years. Patients' access to modern treatment methods is also still delayed. This paper presents a practical guide to both the diagnosis and treatment of axial spondyloarthritis in Poland.