Increased prevalence of joint manifestations in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS)

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the systemic manifestations and joint disease in patents with recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS).

METHODS

The presence and features of extra-oral manifestations were determined by a rheumatologist, who examined and interviewed 64 patients, referred during 1993 to the oral medicine clinic for treatment of RAS. Controls were 65 medical staff members of a military clinic associated with the hospital.

RESULTS

Based on the rheumatologist's findings and published criteria, the patients were diagnosed as suffering from RAS alone (24 patients), Reiter's syndrome (8), Behçet disease (8), familial Mediterranean fever (1), or RAS with undiagnosable extra oral manifestations (23). Thirteen patients in the last group had joint disease (p < 0.01 compared to the controls), characterized by recurrent mono- or oligoarthritis/arthralgia of short duration, affecting mostly the large joints. Conjunctivitis, pustular rash, lower back pain and urethritis/cervicitis were also common in RAS patients, but only the latter was significantly more frequent in RAS patients than in controls (p < 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that patients with RAS have an increased frequency of a palindromic type joint disease.