Spondyloarthritis

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Inflammatory bowel disease patients can be afflicted by various forms of arthritis from peripheral arthritis to ankylosing spondylitis and symmetrical polyarthritis. In this slideshow, we address identification, diagnosis and treatment for these complex cases.

Up to one-third of people with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) have some degree of bone loss due to systemic inflammation and decreased mobility, but lowering inflammation with tumor necrosis factor blockers may improve bone density.

Registry data show that smokers with spondyloarthropathies have markedly less improvement in disease activity on TNF inhibitors. The evidence also suggests that quitting the smoking habit erases this disadvantage.

(ACR Pediatrics 2014) More links between the gut and arthritis: Children with spondyloarthritis have different enteric bacteria than healthy kids, adding to a growing body of evidence linking microbes to autoimmune disorders.