Enteropathic arthropathies are linked to GI pathology caused by which condition?

• A. Gastritis
• B. Appendicitis
• C. Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• D. Peptic ulcer disease

Answer: (C)

Enteropathic arthropathies are inflammatory joint problems that accompany inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. The gut inflammation in IBD can drive immune activity that spills over to joints, causing arthritis that often tracks with bowel disease activity and commonly affects large joints in a pauciarticular pattern, though axial involvement can occur as well. Mechanistically, shared antigens and immune cross-reactivity between the gut and joints, along with genetic factors like HLA-B27 in some patients, help explain why these joint problems arise in the setting of IBD. Other GI conditions like gastritis, appendicitis, or peptic ulcers do not have a known, typical association with this kind of inflammatory arthritis.