Enteropathic arthritis

Last revised by Daniel J Bell on 10 Aug 2022

Enteropathic arthritis (EA) is a form of chronic, inflammatory arthritis associated with the occurrence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and is classified as a form of seronegative spondyloarthropathy.

Epidemiology

Approximately 20% of people with Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis may develop enteropathic arthritis 1.

Associations

Miscellaneous changes such as digital clubbing and hypertrophic osteoarthropathy can occur as associated manifestations.

Pathology

While enteropathic arthritis has been classically described with ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease, other gastrointestinal diseases, such as Whipple diseaseceliac disease, and intestinal bypass surgery can also be associated with it. It can also be rarely triggered by enteritis due to Salmonella, Shigella or Yersinia 2.

Location

At least three forms of joint abnormalities are recognized in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases according to locations 2,3:

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