"Bypass arthritis" after gastroileostomy.

We describe a patient who underwent inadvertent gastroileostomy, and subsequently developed malabsorption, granulomatous hepatitis, arthritis, and reactivation of tuberculosis accompanied by circulating immune complexes and lowered C1q. Surgical correction resulted in marked improvement, with disappearance of arthritis, return to normal of complement levels, and absence of demonstrable circulating immune complexes. Arthritis has not been documented in the spectrum of abnormalities described after gastroileostomy.