Rheumatoid Arthritis | Intestinal Ischemia or Infarction

Vascular lesions may include one of the following:

(1) vasculitis

(2) necrotizing vasculitis

(3) proliferative endarteritis without inflammation (obliterative endarteritis)

When to consider:

(1) unexplained abdominial pain including intestinal angina

(2) evidence of bowel infarction

(3) rheumatoid vasculitis elsewhere

(4) overlap syndrome with psoriatic arthritis or a sponyloarthropathy

(5) elevated intestinal isoenzyme for alkaline phosphatase

The diagnosis requires exclusion of other causes of vascular disease such as arteriosclerosis.