Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Does AS cause IBS / Collitis?

Hi Folks

I have AS for probably 20 years. I have noticed fairly recently that I cannot enjoy spicy foods anymore (really love curries)- without many bathroom trips the next day.

Is this AS? (not taking any meds at the moment)

Thanks
Lorcan

It's hard to say. IBS/IBD is often associated with AS. There's also a form of Spondy called Enteropathic Arthritis that is characterised by GI tract problems.

Have you tried going without the spicy foods for a few weeks to see what happens? Give it 6 to 8 weeks to give your gut a chance to heal, and then slowly reintroduce various components of your favourite foods. There might be a specific ingredient you're reacting to; it might be the spices, say. See how you feel.

You should probably get an appointment with a GI specialist and see about having a gastroscopy (both stomach and colon). Really, that's the only way you'll know if there's anything untoward going on that is causing this.

I hope it eases soon. I'd be lost without my spicy foods.

Hugs,

Hi, Lorcan:

Yes, it is AS but You have posed a chicken-and-egg situation where an egg-and-chicken would explain it just fine.

AS does not cause IBS/colitis.
AS is caused by IBS/colitis, so they are intimately linked.

Most people with AS will never notice their bowel involvement; the increased permeability is difficult to recognize as is their incipient/early IBS.

bon appetit,
John

IBD and AS seem to go hand and hand. I think I read that 30% of people with AS have some form of IBD. You should talk it over with your doctor.
Donna

i've actually been wondering almost the opposite sort of thing for me. two years in a row now at the end of the summer, i've had mysteriously constipated bowels, with mucus in the stools, really the only time i consistently get mucus in the stools. no amount of fiber, water, and exercise combined was shaking it, had to consume psyllium several times a day every day to keep things moving. several weeks of that both times now, and then finally a flare. this year the flare (once the constipation was established) included mouth sores, then blepharitis, then the neck, then the upper back, then the SI.

in 2006, i had an unexplained flare of gastritis, then loose bowels, then pulled the tendon(s) that connects the IT and TFL bands to the trochanter by stretching, so i could hardly walk for months on end (needed PT for that), then tore a ligament in my wrist from pouring a pot of water into the sink, which required cortisone, PT, and not using that hand for 2-3 years, then for ~2 months, a mysterious leg rash that came and went on and off like clockwork every week or so.

i've noticed that all these things tend to flare together: "arthritis" and gastro, etc. but they're the strongest examples i've noted.

not sure if one causes the other or if they are just caused by the same process going on in my body. but i do note a connection.

and as kat and others mentioned, seeing a doctor (to get scoped) makes sense. in 2006 when my gastritis and lose bowels flared, i had another upper endoscopy, which did show the gastritis. i was able to get it to resolve through diet and drugs after about 6 months or so. and this past year had a colonoscopy to help understand the bowel involvement. some ulcers at the end of my small intestine, so a CT enterography to rule out crohn's / IBD. doc didn't call after the exam so assuming it came back negative for IBD, though we're to meet up next week so i'll know for sure. I did read that people with AS (and other spondys maybe) often have "crohn's like ulcers" in their intestines. my results would be consistent with that data. was also told NSAID use can cause that as well, but I hadn't had a NSAID for over a year prior to the colonoscopy, and even then it was just a very few to test my response to them.

so i'd say if you haven't had a colonoscopy, etc recently, they'll probably want to do that for you soon.

Hi all.

Not as much time as I would like to post today - sorry for the brevity.

First point - IBS = irritable bowel syndrome. IBD = inflammatory bowel disease, which comprises mainly of Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis. Although on the surface both IBS and IBD can cause (sometimes) similar symptoms (tummy pain, cramping, diarrohoea)IBS is a less serious condition (what I mean by that is to the best of our current knowledge it doesn't have the same sort of complications as IBDs can - bowel perforation, future problems with cancer, etc). I don't mean for one minute to minimise the pain associated with IBS, or how problematic the symptoms can be, but it's not the same disease process, and isn't associated with the same morbidity (and in severe cases) mortality that IBD is.

IBD and Ank Spond are related, although nobody knows exactly how - it's much more complicated than a yes/no answer can provide.

I echo other people thoughts here - if you think you might have symptoms of IBD, you best contact your GP / rheum. They may be content to "watch and wait" for a while, but they may also recommend investigations sooner rather than later.

Best of luck,
Jeanna