Humira (adalimumab) is a medication used to treat a variety of diseases. As the medication is being prescribed to more and more patients, researchers wanted to see if there were any side effects they didn't know about before.

A long term disease named  Ankylosing   Spondylitis has been linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular problems. A number of factors could be responsible for this increased risk, including the drugs used to treat this painful condition.

No two patients with ankylosing spondylitis are exactly the same. As such, a drug treatment that works for one patient may not work for the other. When one drug isn't working out, patients may turn to another drug.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs ) are used often to treat axial spondyloarthritis - a type of spinal arthritis. When these drugs don't work, doctors and patients have to find another option.

Doctors want to know if the drugs they prescribe to their ankylosing spondylitis patients are helping. If they are not seeing positive results, they may want to change course as soon as possible.