ROME, June 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- UK Premiership footballer Rory Delap, renowned for hisdevastating throw-in, has joined forces with a number of football heroesacross Europe to support 'Back in Play', a European wide campaign to reachyoung men and women and raise awareness of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), apoorly understood condition which can affect the lower back.

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AS is a type of inflammatory arthritis, characterised by lowback pain and stiffness, which is most common in young men.(1,2) The symptomscan be subtle and are often overlooked or confused with common back pain orsports injuries meaning it can take as long as 3-11 years to be accuratelydiagnosed.(3)

The campaign, supported by the Ankylosing SpondylitisInternational Federation (ASIF,) kicks off today with the launch of the Backin Play website, http://www.back-in-play.com. The site is home to an addictive football game with a competitive European league, which tests a player's throw-in skills whilst highlighting the symptoms of AS that can differentiate it from other back pain. In addition to watching a throw-in master class from Rory Delap, visitors to the site can review the AS symptom checklist compiled by ASIF, find out more information about the condition via patient and doctor interviews and links to patient support groups.

The Stoke City player, whose flexibility and back strength iskey to his enviable skill, believes Back in Play can help raise awareness ofthis relatively unknown condition and its symptoms. Lending his personalsupport to the initiative, Delap comments: "Most football fans will not haveheard about AS, yet the stats show up to 1 in 200 will have it."Reflectingon the importance of early diagnosis and treatment he continues: "It isunderstandable that some of the symptoms like lower back pain are oftenwritten off as a sports injury or bad posture, however there are some keysubtleties such as the pain getting better with exercise and painful, redeyes, that can indicate AS. Test your throw-in skills with the game and checkout the symptoms at the same time."

Most commonly, but not exclusively found in young men, ASsymptoms typically start in the late teens and early twenties, causingsevere, chronic pain and discomfort.(1,4) "A lack of awareness of the condition and the gradual onset of symptoms means that it can take years for sufferers to get an accurate diagnosis, I believe 15 years in my own case," said Seoirse Smith, President of the Ankylosing Spondylitis InternationalFederation (ASIF). "I know from personal experience that the earlier thecondition is diagnosed the better the outcome for the patient. If AS is notcorrectly diagnosed or treated, over many years, the spine can become rigidas it may fuse together, and fixed in a bent position making it increasinglydifficult to move around freely and undertake day-to-day activities withease."

Although there is no cure for AS, Professor Désirée van derHeijde, from the Department of Rheumatology at the Leiden University MedicalCenter in Leiden, The Netherlands, says patients can be managed effectively."There are a number of treatment options available to help reduce the painand stiffness experienced by sufferers, from traditional anti-inflammatorydrugs which are usually the first line of treatment, to the newer biologics."She concluded, "In addition to taking medication, maintaining a good postureand a regular exercise routine has also been proved to be beneficial."

About AS

The first symptom people with AS typically experience is adull pain in the lower back that comes on gradually over time. The pain isgenerally felt deep in the buttock and/or in the lower back (lumbar) regionsand is accompanied by morning joint stiffness in the same area that lasts fora few hours.(1) These symptoms can improve with exercise, however return whenat rest. The pain becomes persistent and is usually worse at night disturbingsleep.(1)

AS varies between individuals in the way it progresses andsymptoms will differ in severity, however most patients will experienceflare-ups of inflammation periodically.(2) Disease progression can lead tofusion of the spine; causing loss of mobility and loss of function making itincreasingly difficult for the individual to move freely and carry out theirusual daily activities.(1,3,4)

Although AS is a form of arthritis which primarily affects thespine, other joints and organs of the body can also be affected such as thehips, shoulders, knees, eyes, lungs, bowel, skin and heart.(4) One key symptom which can help differentiate AS from other conditions is uveitis aninflammation of part of the iris within the eye; and conjunctivitis whichcauses red, gritty and painful eyes.(4)

In Europe it is thought that approximately 1 in 200 peoplesuffer from AS.(5,6,7) However, the exact prevalence of AS is not known due to wide geographical variations seen within the population; prevalence estimates range from 0.1 to 1.4 per cent.(3,5)

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Pfizer created and funded Back in Play. Back in Play issupported by the Ankylosing Spondylitis International Federation (ASIF) whichwas established in 1988 with the core premise that the better informed thepatient, the better the outcome for them. ASIF now has member societies from26 countries including many across Europe.

http://www.asif.rheumanet.org

To play the game and find out more information on the campaign,ankylosing spondylitis and the treatments available, visithttp://www.back-in-play.com

References

1. Sieper J. et al. Ankylosing spondylitis: an overview. Ann Rheum Dis.2002;61(Suppl III):iii8-iii18

2. Living with AS website.http://www.livingwith.co.uk/Portals/11/as/ZENB2547e%20-%20Patients%20Guide%20to%20AS.pdf. Last accessed March 2010

3. Elyan M, Khan MA. Diagnosing ankylosing spondylitis. Rheum. 2006:33(Suppl 78):12-23

4. National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society. Guidebook for `Patients: APositive Response to Ankylosing Spondylitis. March 2007

5. Sieper J, Braun J. (2009) Clinician's Manual on AnkylosingSpondylitis, London: Current Medicine Group

6. Braun J. et al. Ankylosing spondylitis. Lancet 2007; 369:1379-90

7. Akkoc N, Khan MA. Overestimation of the prevalence of ankylosingspondylitis in the Berlin study: comment on the Braun article by Braun et al(letter). Arthritis Rheum 2005;52:4048-9

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