| Summary: | A controlled prospective study was undertaken to determine the
incidence and characteristic features of peripheral arthritis, sacroiliitis, ankylosing
spondylitis and hypertrophic osteoarthropathy in a group of patients with
Crohn's disease, and to define the relationship of such arthritides with disease
site, duration and activity. Peripheral arthritis occurred in 14.5% of the patients;
it was not seen in the control group. This arthritis, which tended to be pauciarticular,
was more common in females with large bowel disease and post dated
the bowel symptoms in all but one patient. There was close correlation with
disease activity. Radiographic sacroiliitis occurred in 12.7% of the patients and
ankylosing spondylitis in 7.3%; neither of these were seen in the control group.
Sacroiliitis was more common in females and showed no correlation with either
disease activity or human lymphocyte antigen (HLA) B27. Ankylosing spondylitis
was seen equally in males and females and showed close correlation with
both disease activity and HLA B27. Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy occurred in
9.1% of patients. It was not seen in the control group. All patients were
asymptomatic. It showed no correlation with disease activity, finger clubbing,
age of disease onset, or HLA B27.
|
|---|
