Have you ever heard of arthritis being caused by Crohn's disease? I've had Crohn's for 10 years but never had any joint problems. Now my low back, hips, and sacroiliac joint are starting to bother me. My doctor thinks it's all related to the Crohn's.

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that can, in fact, be linked with arthritis. This type of arthritis is referred to as enteric arthritis. Enteric is a general term that refers to the intestines.

IBD-induced arthritis occurs in about 25 to 30 per cent of patients with IBD. Back pain and arthritis of the extremities are the main symptoms reported. Fortunately, this type of arthritis is not destructive to the joints. Medical treatment of the gut inflammation usually brings the arthritis symptoms under control.

This type of arthritis is sometimes accompanied by a red or purple skin rash of the lower extremities. Like the joint pain, the skin rash usually goes away when the underlying inflammatory condition is brought under control.