[The clinical characters of 30 patients with enteropathic arthritis and literature review].

Objective: To better understand the clinical characters of enteropathic arthritis patients.

Methods: The clinical, laboratory and X-rays data of 30 enteropathic arthritis in-patients were analyzed.

Results: Among the 30 patients, 14 were male, 16 were female. Average age at onset of gastroenteric manifestations was 16 - 48 (32.2 +/- 11.0) years old. The course of disease was 1 month - 20 (5.9 +/- 3.4) years. Average age at onset of arthritis was 15 - 52 (43.4 +/- 6.8) years old. The average interval between onset of diarrhea and arthritis was 0 - 13 (4.2 +/- 4.0) years. Peripheral arthritis was founded in 26 (87%) patients, and only 4 felt low back pain at onset. During the disease course, peripheral arthritis in 14 (54%) patients was similar to rheumatoid arthritis. The history of low back pain or buttock pain was recorded in 22 (73%) patients. Extra-articular features including fever occurred in 24 patients, enthesitis in 6, iritis or conjunctivitis in 4, dactylitis in 1 were observed. HLA-B(27) was positive in 36% (9/25) patients. Sacroiliitis in X-ray or CT was observed in 59% patients.

Conclusion: The clinical manifestations of enteropathic arthritis are characterized by pauciarticular arthritis or symmetric polyarthritis or(and) sacroiliitis, a wide spectrum of extra-articular features, presence of HLA-B(27) and familial history of spondyloarthropathies. As other spondyloarthropathies, the sacroiliitis in enteropathic arthritis was also associated with HLA-B(27).