Material and method: A retro-prospective study was carried out on a sample of 678 patients suffering from ankylosing spondilitis (AS), admitted in the Clinic of Rheumatology, Rehabilitation Hospital, Iaşi.
Results: The analysis highlighted that 86.8% were males, with a soft predominance of urban area (57.1%). Over 50% of the entire sample was exposed to risk factors from industrial area; 11.6% from agriculture; 10.5%--various categories of intellectuals, and 17.8% included domestic and socioeconomic activities, difficult to estimate. Analysis of temporal interval between onset and diagnosis establishment attested that it was been performed during the first year for 42.7%; next 2-9 years, for 40.1%, and in 17.5% of cases, 10 and over 21 years.
Conclusion: Difficulties in early diagnosis achievement, in order to obtain optimal therapeutic results and, consequently, reduce the important impact on patient, family and society, placed AS among diseases with serious medical, social and economic involvements.