Objective: Arthritis is the most frequent extra-intestinal manifestation in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The coexistence of intestinal and articular inflammation advocates the need for a multidisciplinary management of patients with IBD-associated spondyloarthritis.
Methods: Consecutive IBD patients were evaluated jointly by the gastroenterologist and the rheumatologist in a combined clinic. All the patients were assessed and screened for articular involvement, disease activity and health related quality of life. After the prescription of a shared treatment, patients with spondyloarthritis were followed up for 24 months.
Results: Two hundred sixty-two IBD patients, including 80 who were classified as affected by spondyloarthritis according to the ASAS criteria, were included in the study. At baseline, patients with both IBD and spondyloarthritis showed worse quality of life in both the physical and mental domains. The multidisciplinary management provided a significant improvement of gastrointestinal and articular manifestations, as well as the health-related quality of life. Moreover, global and gastrointestinal-specific quality of life significantly correlated with articular disease activity.
Conclusion: The multidisciplinary management significantly improves both articular and gastrointestinal disease activities and the quality of life of patients with IBD-associated spondyloarthritis. An appropriate screening strategy and the integrated management of these patients should be encouraged and employed in clinical practice.
Keywords: Combined clinic; Multidisciplinary management; Patient reported outcomes; Screening.
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