I see there are others here who have ankylosing spondylitis - an AI disease that more frequently affects men and causes inflammatory arthritis mainly in the back and other large joints. I am female and have AS, but in females, it affects the body a bit differently. If you look at my previous posts, you may find more info on how it affects me.

My hands and fingers do hurt a lot with AS. My middle, right finger the worse. It started as arthritis and is now, chronically, arthritis in the tendons. The pain is more on the side of my joint rather than the front of the joint. That is one way to determine if the pain is in the joint or the tendon. My AS is treated with Humira (weekly), Savella and prednisone in pulse when I am in a flare. I have been on many DMARDS, so far, Humira works the best for me.

Other than sometimes an elevated sed. rate and CRP, AS does not show AI positives titers in labs. No positive reactions to rheumatoid factors. There is a gene associated with it but that can also be negative. It can be a challenge to diagnose in females.

Mere