Integrative Ayurvedic and Yogic Management of Enteropathic Spondyloarthritis with Anterior Uveitis – A Case Report

Abstract

Autoimmune disorders such as ulcerative colitis (UC), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and acute anterior uveitis are chronic inflammatory conditions with multifactorial etiology. Conventional management typically includes immunosuppressants and biologics, which primarily provide symptomatic relief and may be associated with long-term adverse effects and incomplete remission. A 37-year-old married male, nonsmoker, diagnosed with UC, AS, and anterior acute uveitis, presented to the outpatient department with clinical features of increased stool frequency (10–12 times/day) mixed with blood, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, lower back pain with morning stiffness, and ocular inflammation. The patient underwent a 6-month regimen of samshamana ayurvedic formulations ( pippali churna, sameer pannag rasa, avipattikar churna, and kamdudha rasa ) administered orally, alongside supervised yoga (60 min/day, 5 days/week: sukshma vyayama, pawanmuktasana, bhujangasana, pranayama, etc.). Gradual improvement was observed in both clinical symptoms and laboratory findings. Bowel frequency reduced to normal, rectal bleeding stopped, back pain and stiffness markedly improved, and ocular symptoms resolved. Inflammatory markers reduced substantially: C-reactive protein from 90 to 9 mg/L; erythrocyte sedimentation rate from 80 to 10 mm/h, and hemoglobin from 8.0 to 13.2 g/dL. This case report suggests a possible association between Ayurvedic medicine and Yoga as an integrative therapeutic approach in managing complex autoimmune disorders. These findings need to be confirmed in larger, evidence-based trials.