Chao WC, et al. - Researchers examined how tonsillitis is associated with the risk of newly diagnosed ankylosing spondylitis (AS) via conducting a nationwide, population-based, case-control study using 2003–2012 data from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. They analyzed data of 37,002 newly diagnosed AS cases and 222,012 matched non-AS controls and identified a higher likelihood for experiencing tonsillitis, appendicitis and periodontitis among patients with AS vs non-AS control subjects. Findings support the existence of an association between AS risk and prior tonsillitis. The association seemed to be stronger in females than those in males. Hence, they recommend being vigilant for AS-associated symptoms in patients who had been diagnosed with tonsillitis, especially in females.