The 60⁺ year journey of ankylosing spondylitis from Rome criteria to today

It has been more than 60 years since the development of Rome criteria for ankylosing spondylitis (AS). These criteria wonderfully delineated the clinical pictures of AS, and since then, tremendous works has paved the way for the study and management of AS patients. However, their low sensitivity, specificity and the potential for a delay diagnosis remain major problems of these criteria. Over the past six decades, new classification criteria had been developed to address these issues. As is often the case, new solutions bring new challenges. Avoiding over-diagnosis and over-treatment become a crucial contemporary issue. Hopefully, new modifications of classification criteria are on their way to better defining and treating AS patients.