Objective To explore the characteristics and the related factors of the lipid profiles in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods Sixty AS patients and 60 healthy controls were included retrospectively from January 2005 to January 2015. Information including general data, physical examination, and blood sample were collected; triacylglycerol (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were assessed. Results TG increased in 46.7% (28/60) patients, and HDL-C decreased in 50.0% (30/60). Compared with the control group, AS patients had lower levels of HDL-C, TC and LDL-C, and higher levels of TG, VLDL-C, VLDL-C/LDL-C ratio, LDL-C/HDL-C ratio, and TC/HDL-C ratio; the differences above were all statistically significant (P<0.01). Spearman correlation test demonstrated that HDL-C level was correlated negatively with serum CRP (rs=–0.359, P=0.005). Multiple linear regression model demonstrated that CRP was associated with HDL-C in AS patients (P=0.019). Conclusions Dyslipoproteinemia is a common feature in AS patients. The main characteristic is the increase of TG and decrease of HDL-C, related with inflammation. It suggests a high risk of atherosclerosis.