Clinico-pathological correlation of non specific inflammation in bowel histology with joint manifestation in a tertiary center in South India.

The aim of our study was to determine whether the pattern of arthropathy in patients with suspected enteropathic arthritis bore any relation to their gut histology and specifically to chronic nonspecific gut inflammation. Records of 39 patients with suspected enteropathic arthritis from rheumatology clinic between January 2006 and December 2008 who had undergone ileocolonoscopic biopsy were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were grouped into 3 categories, namely those with normal bowel histology, those with mild nonspecific chronic changes, and those with histology suggestive of inflammatory bowel disease. Patients with nonspecific chronic gut inflammation had higher occurrence of axial involvement with or without peripheral articular involvement as compared to those with normal gut histology (8/9 vs. 10/21, P = 0.049), and this pattern was similar to that in patients with IBD. Wrist joint involvement was more common in patients with normal bowel histology (12/21) than the other two groups ( P = 0.003). All groups had fared well on follow up while taking treatment with sulphasalazine and methotrexate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]