Which statement best describes enteropathic arthritis?

• A. An arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease
• B. An infection of the joints by bacteria
• C. A degenerative knee osteoarthritis
• D. A purely axial disease with no gut involvement

Answer: (A)

Enteropathic arthritis is an inflammatory arthritis that occurs in people with inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. It belongs to the seronegative spondyloarthropathies and is defined by its association with gut inflammation rather than being a primary joint problem. This makes it distinct from septic arthritis, which is caused by a direct joint infection, and from osteoarthritis, which is a degenerative joint disease.

While it can involve the axial skeleton (spine and sacroiliac joints) and peripheral joints, its key feature is its link to inflammatory bowel disease activity. It is not accurate to describe it as a purely axial disease with no gut involvement, since the arthritis is intimately connected to the intestinal inflammatory process and may parallel or follow gut disease activity.