Spondyloarthropathies
A family of inflammatory arthritides with axial or peripheral patterns, enthesitis, dactylitis and characteristic extra-articular disease involving the eye, skin and gut.
Definition
Spondyloarthritis is a group of inflammatory rheumatic diseases that may affect the axial skeleton, peripheral joints, entheses and digits, with associated uveitis, psoriasis or inflammatory bowel disease.
First principles
The family is defined by a clinical pattern, not one laboratory result
Spondyloarthritis may be axial, peripheral or mixed. Common clues include inflammatory back pain, asymmetric lower-limb arthritis, enthesitis, dactylitis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease and acute anterior uveitis. HLA-B27 can support the diagnosis but a negative result, normal CRP or normal ESR does not exclude it.
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