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Volume 51, Number 2

Rheumatic Manifestations of Gastrointestinal Diseases

Ibrahim S. Alghafeer, MD
Fellow, Division of Rheumatology 
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey 
New Brunswick, NJ 

Leonard H. Sigal, MD 
Professor and Chief, Division of Rheumatology 
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey 
New Brunswick, NJ

Summary Points

• Impairment of the gastrointestinal barrier function may play a role in the pathogenesis of arthropathies.
• Arthritis is the most common extracolonic manifestation of chronic ulcerative colitis.
• Reactive arthritis is one of the most common arthritides affecting young adults.

Introduction
Pathologic changes in the gastrointestinal tract may be associated with clinical complaints in multiple organs including the musculoskeletal system. Impaired barrier function and immunogenetic mechanisms are implicated (1). In some instances, the association between gastrointestinal pathology and extraintestinal disease is so strong that treatment of gastrointestinal disease resolves many of the patient’s extraintestinal complaints. This article will focus primarily on the rheumatic manifestations of the gastrointestinal diseases and the available treatment modalities.