Association of spondyloarthritides with uveitis

A recent report in the Journal of Rheumatology identifies that uveitis is associated not only with ankylosing spondylitis and reactive arthritis, but also with undifferentiated spondyloarthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Overall, the authors report that about 1 in 10 patients' with uveitis has spondyloarthritides.The German research team, led by Dr Linder from the University of Lubeck, conducted their current study to determine the prevalence of spondyloarthritides in patients with uveitis and to establish criteria for certain subtypes of this group of diseases. The team notes that uveitis is a heterogenous collection of diseases that may be associated with other conditions including joint diseases. "Distinguishing different types of uveitis is of great practical relevance and would aid in the evaluation of new treatment strategies," they write.The authors prospectively examined 433 patients with different types of uveitis for signs of spondyloarthritides [as defined by the European Spondylarthropathy Study Group (ESSG)].The researchers report that 44 (10%) subjects had spondyloarthritides, 36 of whom presented with acute anterior uveitis and eight with other types of uveitis. In addition, 19 of the group had ankylosing spondylitis, 11 had undifferentiated spondyloarthritis, nine had reactive arthritis and five had psoriatic arthritis.Commenting on their findings, the researchers conclude that the ESSG criteria, which were proposed in 1991 and do not include uveitis, are helpful in identifying spondyloarthritis in patients with uveitis.Dr. Linder added, "we recommend the usage of the ESSG criteria when treating uveitis patients... these criteria might help in detecting undifferentiated spondyloarthritis or psoriatic arthritis, otherwise possibly under diagnosed."Reference...