Screening for Spondyloarthritis in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease - SPARTAN 2024 Annual Meeting Proceedings

There is an unmet need to adequately identify, describe and treat the musculoskeletal manifestations of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). At the 2024 SPARTAN annual meeting, we reviewed the current literature on the prevalence and presentation of spondyloarthritis in patients with IBD and discussed screening strategies to select symptomatic patients for further study. The primary goal is to improve understanding and recognition of spondyloarthritis in this patient population.

In a unique collaboration between U.S. gastroenterologists and rheumatologists, the Gastroenterology and Rheumatology assessment of Spondyloarthritis in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (GRaSp-IBD) study group designed and executed a multi-center study across six institutions that applied a hybrid screening tool to identify patients with musculoskeletal symptoms suggestive of spondyloarthritis. The data was analyzed for confirmed rheumatic disease, treatment history, patient and IBD characteristics. Of the patients that screened positive, the majority (69%) had not seen a rheumatologist within the past year. IBD phenotype did not seem to increase the risk of a positive screen, but a higher number of biologic exposures proved significant. IBD patients report musculoskeletal pain at a high rate but a minority of these patients are seen by rheumatologists. Further study is needed to determine how to optimize screening for IBD arthritis, and to improve referral rates and clinical outcomes.