Macroscopic and histological changes of the ileum HLA-B27 related diseases: therapeutic consequences

Ileocolonoscopy and microscopic examination of ileum biopsies have been performed on patients with reactive synovitis, ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and on a control group. Histological signs of gut inflammation were present in practically all patients with reactive synovitis, with the exception of the patients with sexually-acquired disease. In the AS group, inflammation of the ileum was observed in the HLA-B27 negative patients and in AS B27 positive patients with peripheral joint involvement. Occasionally, changes of the ileum were seen in the B27 positive AS patients without peripheral joint involvement. Signs of gut inflammation were absent in all controls. These data suggest that chronic inflammation of the ileum could be implicated in the pathogenesis of some cases of reactive synovitis and even in the peripheral joint involvement frequently seen in ankylosing spondylitis. In the second part of the study, sulfasalazine (Salazopyrin) was administered to 15 HLA-B27 positive patients with reactive synovitis, who had failed to respond to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. In 11 of the 15 patients, a clinical and biological remission occurred 3 to 11 months after the start of sulfasalazine treatment. The frequency of spontaneous remissions in reactive synovitis calls for confirmation of these encouraging results in double-blind controlled studies.