Joint Extraintestinal Manifestations in Ulcerative Colitis

An extraintestinal manifestation (EIM) very often occurs in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. EIM modifies the natural course of UC and decreases the quality of life in these patients. The aim of this study was to analyze clinical and laboratory findings in UC patients with joint EIM. 319 UC patients were examined. Among them were 131 (41.1%) patients with distal UC, 102 (32.0%) suffered from left-sided UC and 86 (26.9%) had pancolitis. 95 (29.8%) UC patients had joint EIM. Arthritis correlated with extensive forms of UC and was more often determined in patients with left-sided UC and pancolitis. Arthralgia was a prevalent symptom of joint EIM in patients with distal UC. Colon microbiocenosis and the mucosal barrier in UC patients were analyzed. The cytokine status with privileged cytokine profile changes was investigated. In all UC patients, dysbiosis with a decreasing quantity of bifidobacteria, lactobacilli and Escherichia coli was found, but an increase of facultative flora was also found. At the same time, an association of facultative flora in UC patients with arthritis was observed. In these patients, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella and Proteus were found more often in stool cultures. These associations correlated with a modification of the colonocytes' cell receptor maturity of mucus, a condition with a decreased staining intensity by lectins. A cytokine imbalance with an increase of proinflammatory and a decrease of anti-inflammatory cytokines was found in all UC patients. The privileged cytokine profile changes in UC patients with joint EIM were analyzed. Maximal increases of IL-1 and TNF with decreases of IL-10 in plasma in patients with joint EIM were observed. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel