AYURVEDIC MANAGEMENT OF ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS (ASTHIMAJJAGATA VATA) – A CASE STUDY

Ankylosing Spondylitis is a type of arthritis that mostly affects spine and has a strong association with genetic marker HLAB27. The etiology of this disease is not much clear, but the pathogenesis can be ruled out to be immune mediated. Late adolescence or early adulthood is the prime age for the onset with symptoms ranging from dull pain with mild stiffness and reaching up to totally fused spine and severe hip joint arthritis. It has been seen that the patients diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis show a variety of symptoms which can be catego- rized according to Ayurveda under aamavata, vatarakta, sandhigatavata samavastha or asthimajjagata vata. Here in this case study the symptoms of the patients were much like asthimajjagata vata and the dosha dushti was lina up to asthi and majja dhatu, hence both shamana and panchakarma chikitsa by the means of basti was planned.Keywords: Ankylosing Spondylitis, Arthritis, Asthimajjagata vata, Basti.