The findings strengthen the theory that childhood infections influence ankylosing spondylitis development.reveals that having older siblings and undergoing tonsil removal during childhood are associated with an increased risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis , a chronic inflammatory arthritis. This supports the theory that childhood infections may contribute to the onset of this condition, which causes pain, stiffness, and fatigue due to inflammation of the spine, joints, and tendons.
Each case was matched for sex, year of birth, and region of residence with an average of 4 members of the general public who didn’t have the disease. Several factors were associated with a heightened risk of an ankylosing spondylitis diagnosis, among them having just one or more older siblings , but not siblings in general.
The researchers then carried out a sibling comparison analysis—3965 with, and 6070 siblings without, the disease as this adjusts for potentially influential measured and unmeasured environmental factors shared within families.