Question: A 65-year-old man presented with pain and swelling of both hands, fever, fatigue, and right hip joint pain for 2 weeks. He had had a 30-year history of ileocolonic CD with four times of bowel surgery. His medication included maintenance infliximab for 10 years, and mesalazine for over 20 years. Physical examination showed a body temperature of 38.6°C. Fingers were swollen like sausage and there was tenderness on the flexor tendons (
Fig. A). Paralysis and neurological deficit were not noted. Laboratory tests showed elevated levels of white blood cells (10.9 × 10
3/μL), CRP (10.46 mg/dL; reference range, < 0.14 mg/dL), ESR (103 mm/hr; reference range, 2-10 mm/hr), IgG (2,089 mg/dL; reference range, 861-1,747 mg/dL), IgA (644 mg/dL; reference range, 93-393 mg/dL), and IgM (277 mg/dL; reference range, 33-183 mg/dL). Tests for antinuclear antibody, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody, and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody were negative. Blood culture was negative. Written informed consent was obtained. What is the most likely diagnosis?
Answer to the Images: CD Complicated by Dactylitis and Pelvic Enthesitis
Physical examination showed dactylitis involving the fingers of both hands (
Fig. A). CD complicated by dactylitis and pelvic enthesitis around the right hip joint was diagnosed and treatment with 60 mg/day of prednisolone was initiated. Symptoms and inflammatory parameters improved in several days and then prednisolone was tapered. He has been asymptomatic during 2 years of follow-up with infliximab. Musculoskeletal complication is a common extraintestinal manifestation of CD, classified into axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) and peripheral SpA. Axial SpA includes ankylosing spondylitis and non-radiographic axial SpA, whereas peripheral SpA consists of peripheral arthritis, enthesitis, and dactylitis [
1]. Although the immunological mechanisms of “gut-joint” axis have not become clear, it is speculated that both bacterial antigens and reactive T-cell clones, activated into the gut home the joint in association with certain human leukocyte antigen alleles [
1]. Dactylitis is caused by flexor tenosynovitis and clinical examination is a sufficient method for its diagnosis [
2]. The prevalence of dactylitis is very low with a range under 5% in CD patients [
3]. There is a clinical dilemma presented by CD patients with musculoskeletal symptoms is whether the symptoms are caused by CD-associated SpA, unrelated musculoskeletal conditions, or TNF-α inhibitors induced adverse effects [
4], as in this case which the clinical course suggested CD-associated SpA. In conclusion, we should consider SpA carefully in the era of biologic treatments for CD.