Juvenile ankylosing spondylitis

How is juvenile ankylosing spondylitis diagnosed?

In addition to a complete medical history and physical examination, some of the diagnostic tests your child's doctor may order include:

• x-rays - a diagnostic test which uses invisible electromagnetic energy beams to produce images of internal tissues, bones and organs onto film.
• erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR or sed rate) - a measurement of how quickly red blood cells fall to the bottom of a test tube. When swelling and inflammation are present, the blood's proteins clump together and become heavier than normal. Thus, when measured, they fall and settle faster at the bottom of the test tube. Generally, the faster the blood cells fall, the more severe the inflammation.
• detection of HLA-B27