Latest Treatment Perspectives for IBD-related Arthritis - a review

Introduction: IBD-related arthritis (spondyloarthropathy) is the most common extraintestinal manifestation (EIM) of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and is often considered a formidable clinical challenge. Emergence of TNFα-antagonists has revolutionised the clinical approach to management of IBD-related arthritis and remains the mainstay of the therapy. However, its use presents several limitations, underscoring the need for new treatment modalities. Recently, new agents have been approved for the management of IBD, although their influence on IBD-related arthritis has been scarcely investigated. Aim of the Study: The aim of the study was to collect and analyse current literature regarding the efficacy of new agents used for treating IBD-related arthritis.  Methods and Materials: Extensive research was conducted using the PubMed, ScienceDirect database and Google Scholar, with the primary focus on literature from the past 5 years. Firstly, potential novel treatment options for IBD-related arthritis were obtained. The names of the drugs were juxtaposed with terms related to “IBD-related arthritis” to gather data regarding their efficacy in said condition. Additionally, references from selected articles were included in the analysis. Results: Emerging treatment options show promising results in achieving remission of IBD-related arthritis. However, our study revealed research gap as the current literature lacks large-scale, prospective studies that assess the efficacy of the aforementioned agents in achieving a resolution of IBD-related arthritis. Therefore, the results of our study encourage further research, with special emphasis on large-scale randomised controlled trials.