Enteropathic arthritis is a subcategory of traditional arthritis, characterized by its affliction being limited to the peripheral joints, usually in a person’s lower extremities like the knees or ankles.  Generally, enteropathic arthritis will correspond with inflammatory bowel diseases (like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis) or other intestinal disorders. 

Enteropathic Arthritis Symptoms
Symptoms of enteropathic arthritis first present after the affection and diagnosis of one of these inflammatory bowel diseases.  Patients will experience swelling, stiffness, and reddening of joints which can be managed with anti-inflammatory medication.

Less frequently, a patient will present will arthritic symptoms in the spine, or otherwise report lingering back pains.  Patients with back pains as their primary symptom tend to report that, while their pain does not resolve itself, it does not worsen to any significant degree. 

Pain Worsens
Such plateaus of pain are not, however, generally experienced by patients with arthritic pain in joints like the knees or ankle and symptoms will worsen as other gastrointestinal disease flare up (although there is relief once these diseases are not presenting).  Unfortunately, while patients with back pain do not feel spikes in their symptoms, they do not go away whether their gastrointestinal diseases.

Enteropathic Arthritis Treatment
Treatment of the causing inflammatory bowel diseases can effectively manage enteropathic arthritis symptoms.  The gastrointestinal tract is one of the body’s most important natural guardians of the immune system, particularly against bacteria and viruses from food, drink, and pathogens entering the body in other ways. 

Resulting inflammation from inflammatory bowel diseases, over time, damage intestinal barriers that then allow infectious organisms to enter the bloodstream, and which, eventually, begin to attack the joints, resulting in the onset of arthritic conditions.

Photo shows healthcare professionals peering into MRI machine. Magnetic Resonance Imaging is often used to evaluate arthritic joints.