To describe the current methods usable to assess intestinal permeability in spondyloarthritis (SpA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), to analyze the available data on intestinal permeability in SpA and RA patients and the effects of drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on intestinal permeability.
A systematic review was conducted. Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched. Studies published in the last 40 years (January 1980-September 2020) with patients with SpA and/or RA assessing the intestinal permeability were selected.
A total of 2916 articles were collected, after discarding 1125 duplicate articles, we analyzed the titles and abstracts of 1791 studies. There were 459 articles that met the inclusion criteria and whose text was read. A total of 23 studies were included in the final analysis. Sample sizes ranged from 6 to 206 participants. In patients with spondyloarthritis, a large majority of studies reported an increase in intestinal permeability regardless of the method used. No increase in intestinal permeability was found in RA patients compared to healthy subject in half of the studies. NSAID treatment does not appear to influence intestinal permeability in SpA and seems to increase the intestinal permeability in RA patients as much as in healthy subjects.
The results of our review suggest the existence of increased intestinal permeability in SpA patients even in the absence of NSAIDs use and regardless of the method assessing the intestinal permeability. Studies in RA patients are more controversial.