A guide to Reiter’s syndrome

Reiter's syndrome is a chronic, intermittent, inflammatory condition that affects not only the joints (usually starting in the knees, feet or ankles) but also other parts of the body like the urethra and eyes, which can develop conjunctivitis.

• There are over 100 different forms of arthritis. Don't use these nutshell descriptions as a way of diagnosing your aches and pains.
• Make an appointment with your doctor and undergo a thorough physical. Your symptoms are unique and only your doctor can determine which disease you may have.
• It may take time to rule out the many other disorders that mimic your particular manifestation of arthritis before your doctor can make a final diagnosis.

• The syndrome is most common in men ages 20 to 40, who develop it after becoming infected with a sexually transmitted disease, though it also occurs in people with a genetic susceptibility traceable to the HLA-B27 gene.
• Reiter's syndrome is called a reactive arthritis because the joint inflammation appears to be a reaction to an infection originating in an area other than joints.

• The condition is caused by the body's abnormal response to infections (either sexually transmitted diseases or infections of the gastrointestinal tract).
• Symptoms include inflammation of the urethra, conjunctivitis and joint pain and inflammation — usually of the knees, toes and areas where tendons are attached to bones, such as the heels.
• The combination of joint, genital, urinary, skin and eye symptoms leads a doctor to suspect Reiter's syndrome.
• Because these symptoms may not appear simultaneously, the disease may not be diagnosed for several months. No simple laboratory tests are available to confirm the diagnosis.

• Antibiotics are used to treat the infection and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can minimize pain and inflammation in the joint.
• Although the patient often recovers, the arthritic symptoms may continue on and off for many years.
• Studies have shown that certain microbes commonly cause rheumatoid arthritis and other rheumatic diseases in chimpanzees, rats, swine, poultry and other domestic animals.
• The two culprits are mycoplasmas and chlamydia — parasitic bacteria that produce Reiter's syndrome in the connective tissue of genetically susceptible people.