Systemic complications of inflammatory bowel disease.

Radiologic assessment of the sacroiliac joints should be part of every inflammatory bowel disease patient's workup; ankylosing spondylitis is 10 to 20 times more common in ulcerative colitis patients than in normal persons. Iritis, which occurs in 10 to 20% of ulcerative colitis patients, often precedes bowel symptoms. It may be necessary to use long-term, low-dose steroid therapy to control frequently recurring iritis.