Spondyloarthritides

Spondyloarthritides encompass a unique subset of disease processes that are each distinct but with overlapping clinical features. The disorders include psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease–associated arthritis. HLA-B27 has been linked to each of these disease processes.

Spondyloarthritides generally include both axial and peripheral symptoms. They commonly display inflammatory back pain, along with oligoarthritis, dactylitis, and enthesitis. Symptom onset often begins at a young age, but diagnosis is commonly delayed secondary to the broad range of signs and symptoms with which patients can present. This delay can lead to continued inflammation and permanent structural damage, in turn leading to a significant reduction in quality of life.

Therefore, it is important to suspect spondyloarthritis early on in patients via appropriate history-taking and physical examination findings. Prompt recognition is becoming more important, as effective therapies for early treatment have become available and it is possible to prevent the debilitating long-term effects of the disease.