Category (Skin, General, Viral, Contagious)	DISEASES OF MUSCULO SKELETAL SYSTEM AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE
System	Locomotor system
Organ	Bones and spinal cord
Alternate Names /Common Names	Bechterew's disease and Marie-Strmpell disease, "BAMBOO SPINE"
Names in different languages	Spondylarthrite Ankylosante in French
ICD 10 Classification	M 40 including rheumatoid arthritis of spine
World statistics	Prevalence in 0.1 to 0.2 % of total population
Most prevalent in	North European countries. Males are generally affected more