Spondyloarthritis (also called spondyloarthropathy or spondyloarthritides) is a term used to describe a group of connective tissue diseases that cause prominent joint inflammation. These diseases affect the joints and spine and share certain characteristics. For example, they may cause back pain, inflammation of the eye ( uveitis Uveitis Uveitis is inflammation anywhere in the pigmented inside lining of the eye, known as the uvea or uveal tract. The uveal tract may become inflamed because of infection, injury, a bodywide autoimmune... read more ), digestive symptoms, and rashes. Some are strongly associated with the HLA-B27 gene. Because they cause many of the same problems and share genetic characteristics, some experts think these disorders share similar causes and ways of causing symptoms.
Spondyloarthritis causes joint inflammation, similar to rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory arthritis in which joints, usually including those of the hands and feet, are inflamed, resulting in swelling, pain, and often destruction of joints.... read more 
. However, in contrast to rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid factor (see Blood tests Blood tests Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory arthritis in which joints, usually including those of the hands and feet, are inflamed, resulting in swelling, pain, and often destruction of joints.... read more ) is negative in spondyloarthritis (hence, these disorders are also called the seronegative spondyloarthropathies). These disorders include
Spondyloarthritis also can develop in association with digestive conditions (sometimes called enteropathic arthritis), such as inflammatory bowel disease Overview of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) In inflammatory bowel diseases, the intestine (bowel) becomes inflamed, often causing recurring abdominal pain and diarrhea. The two primary types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are Crohn... read more , intestinal bypass surgery Bariatric Surgery Bariatric (weight-loss) surgery alters the stomach, intestine, or both to produce weight loss. In the United States, about 160,000 people have bariatric surgery each year. This number accounts... read more , or Whipple disease Whipple Disease Whipple disease is the result of a rare bacterial infection that damages the lining of the small intestine, resulting in malabsorption, and may involve other organs of the body. This disease... read more .
Juvenile-onset spondyloarthritis affects the lower extremities, often affects joints on opposite sides of the body to different degrees, and begins most commonly in boys aged 7 to 16.
Spondyloarthritis can also develop in people with no characteristics of other specific spondyloarthritis (undifferentiated spondyloarthritis). Treatment of undifferentiated spondyloarthritis is similar to treatment of reactive arthritis Treatment Reactive arthritis (previously called Reiter syndrome) is a spondyloarthritis causing inflammation of the joints and tendon attachments at the joints, often related to an infection. Joint pain... read more 
. The disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory arthritis in which joints, usually including those of the hands and feet, are inflamed, resulting in swelling, pain, and often destruction of joints.... read more methotrexate and sulfasalazine may help relieve symptoms of spondyloarthritis. Sometimes tumor necrosis factor inhibitors Immunosuppressive drugs Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory arthritis in which joints, usually including those of the hands and feet, are inflamed, resulting in swelling, pain, and often destruction of joints.... read more or other biologic agents Biologic agents Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory arthritis in which joints, usually including those of the hands and feet, are inflamed, resulting in swelling, pain, and often destruction of joints.... read more may be needed.
