Overview of Spondyloarthropathies

Introduction Spondyloarthropathy (or Spondyloarthritis) is an umbrella term for a group of inflammatory rheumatic diseases (WEB). [1][2][3] ERHENFELD 2015. Spondyloarthropathies are progressive and painful. They often involve the axial skeleton (i.e. the spine and the sacroiliac joints), but can also affect the peripheral skeleton WEB. They are associated with enthesitis (inflammation of the site where tendons / ligaments insert into bone SCHETT) and dactylitis (i.e. diffuse swelling of the fingers MCGONAGLE). Other areas affected include the heart, eyes, lungs, skin, gut and genitourinary tract (ERHENFELD).