What are the Manifestations of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Beyond the GI Tract? 

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) manifest not only in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, but also affect joints, skin, eyes, liver, lung, and pancreas. Up to half of patients with IBD have extraintestinal manifestations (EIMs) of IBD. Therapies for intestinal inflammation are not sufficient to treat EIMs such as anterior uveitis, ankylosing spondylitis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), which usually occur independent of disease flares. In the October issue of Gastroenterology, Gerhard Rogler et al review the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and treatment of EIMs in patients with IBD.