The mission of SAA is to enhance the quality of life of people affected by AS and related diseases, to promote early diagnosis and effective treatment, and to support research into the cause and cure.

Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a painful, progressive form of spinal arthritis which generally attacks young people in their prime of life and which can cause permanent disability in severe cases. Founded in 1983 by a group of spondylitis patients, their families and their physicians, SAA is a non-profit volunteer health organization serving the nearly one million people who suffer from AS.

http://www.spondylitis.org