ADULT CELIAC-DISEASE IS FREQUENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH SACROILIITIS

No data are available on the presence and frequency of peripheral or c entral joint disease, routinely determined by bone scintigraphy with 7 40 MBq of [Tc-99m]MDP, in adult celiac disease. Bone scintigraphy was carried out to detect early acute inflammatory lesions in 22 adult cel iac patients (15 females and seven males; mean age 36.72 years, range 17-63). Bone scintigraphy was positive for sacroiliitis in 14 cases (6 3.6%). Except in the case of one patient suffering from rheumatoid art hritis, laboratory data were normal. Our data suggest that as in other chronic intestinal diseases, celiac disease in adults, is frequently associated with central joint disease. This high incidence of sacroili itis, the joint disease most frequently found in our patients, has not been previously reported in other series. We believe, therefore, this difference could be explained by the different methodology used for t he screening of joint disease.