Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) mainly affects axial joints, and is also a chronic inflammatory joint disorder with peripheral joint and systemic involvement. Its etiology is unclear, but the efficacy of salicylazosulfapyridine (SASP) in treating AS is generally acknowledged. There is also report on the pure Chinese medical preparation Zhengqing Fengtongning (ZQFTN, 正清风痛宁) in treating AS(1), but there are no reports on whether the ZQFTN and SASP combination therapy can increase the efficacy, or on their side-effects when combined. Since 1996 our hospital has used combination therapy in treating active AS, and compared this with those using SASP alone as control. The results are reported as follows.