[Ocular involvement in spondylarthritis--new mechanisms, new therapies]

Spondyloarthrites (SPA) represent a group of heterogenous rheumatic diseases (ankylosing spondylitis/SA, psoriatic arthritis/PsA, reactive arthritis/ReA, spondyloarthritis in bowel inflammatory diseases/BID, undifferentiated spondyloarthritis/undif SpA) with distinct clinical features and common genetic predisposition (HLA-B27). SpA may also affect other organs, ocular involvement, represented by uveitis and conjunctivitis, being one of the most important extraskeletal manifestations. Pathogenic mechanisms of ocular involment in SpA are not entirely known; nevertheless, the inflammatory process which characterizes the main rheumatic diseases seems to be responsible for this extraskeletal manifestation. SpA treatment targeted at clinical remission has a favourable effect not only on articular but also on ocular involvement. The discovery of new pathogenic mechanisms of both rheumatic and eye disease in SpA have contributed to identification of new pathogenic therapies. The interdisciplinary team work of rheumatologists and ophtalmologists have prove essential for the management of SpA patients with ocular manifestations.