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Reactive arthritis

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Reiter syndrome

Symptoms:

Urinary symptoms usually appear within days or weeks of an infection. Low-grade fever, conjunctivitis, and arthritis develop over the next several weeks. The arthritis may be mild or severe, and may affect only one side of the body or more than one joint.

Symptoms include:

• Achilles tendon pain
• Eye pain - burning
• Eye redness
• Eye discharge
• Heel pain
• Joint pain in the large joints ( hip pain , knee pain , and ankle pain are common)
• Low back pain
• Skin lesions on the palms and soles that may resemble psoriasis
• Small, painless ulcers in the mouth, tongue, and glans penis
• Urinary urgency
• Urination - burning or stinging
• Urethral discharge

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

• Urinary hesitancy
• Skin redness or inflammation
• Penis pain
• Incontinence
• Genital lesions (male)

Signs and tests:

The diagnosis is based on symptoms. Since the symptoms may occur at different times, the diagnosis may be delayed. A physical examination may reveal conjunctivitis or typical skin lesions.

Tests that may be performed include:

• Joint x-rays
• Urinalysis
• HLA-B27 antigen

References:

Kasper DL, ed: Reactive arthritis. In: Harrison's Online . Part 13. Section 2. Chap 305. McGraw Hill; 2004.

• Review Date: 4/27/2007
• Reviewed By: Steve Lee, DO, Rheumatology Fellow, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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