Multidisciplinary evaluation of immune mediated inflammatory diseasesand its impact on early diagnosis

Objective: Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) are a group of diseases characterized by immune dysregulation and chronic inflammation in various tissues and systems that share common inflammatory pathways. Compared to the normal population, the incidence of other illnesses in this disease group is higher among patients suffering from any form of IMID. Therefore, different screening questionnaires have been developed for the early diagnosis and treatment of these patients. These questionnaires are generally conducted in the presence of one IMID, and screen for the presence of another IMID. Our aim in the present study is to reveal the contribution of screening with specified questionnaires as a multidisciplinary approach to early diagnosis of other high probability IMIDs in the presence of any IMID. Materials and methods: 170 spondyloarthritis (SPA), 82 psoriasis (Pso), and 152 Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients were directed through screening questionnaires developed for the diagnosis of other diseases in SpA (7 questions), Pso (5 questions) and IBD (8 questions) patients. Patients who answered positively to any of the questions in the questionnaires were referred to the relevant clinic and evaluated for diagnosis. Results: 38 (22.4%) of the SPA patients gave a positive response to at least one of the dermatology or gastroenterology screening questions [a total of 13 (5+8) questions]. Thirteen (7.6%) of SPA patients were diagnosed with Pso or IBD. 56 (68.3%) of the Pso patients gave a positive response to at least one of the rheumatology and gastroenterology screening questions [a total of 15 (7+8) questions]. Forty-six (56.1%) of Pso patients were diagnosed with SPA or IBD. 77 (50.7%) of IBD patients gave a positive response to at least one of the rheumatology or dermatology screening questions [a total of 12(7+5) questions]. Twenty-six (17.1%) of IBD patients were diagnosed with SPA or Pso. Conclusion: Appropriate screening questionnaires applied to SPA, IBD and Pso patients can contribute to the early diagnosis of many patients. It is critical to use a multidisciplinary approach, apply these screening questionnaires in clinical practice and prevent disability by means of early diagnosis. Keywords: Psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, spondyloarthropathies, immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, multidisciplinary evaluation, screening questionnaires, early diagnosis