Reactive arthritis overview
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Reactive arthritis (ReA) is an autoimmune condition that develops in response to an infection in another part of your body. Coming into contact with bacteria and developing an infection can trigger reactive arthritis. Reactive arthritis has symptoms similar to arthritis or rheumatism. It is caused by another disease, and is thus "reactive", i.e., dependent on the other condition. The "trigger" infection is typically missing in the chronic case.
Reactive arthritis is the combination of three seemingly unlinked symptoms—an inflammatory arthritis of large joints, inflammation of the eyes (conjunctivitis and uveitis), and urethritis. A useful mnemonic is "the patient can't see, can't pee and can't climb a tree". It is also known as arthritis urethritica, venereal arthritis and polyarteritis enterica. It is a type of seronegative spondyloarthropathy.
Reactive arthritis is an RF-seronegative, HLA-B27-linked spondyloarthropathy (autoimmune damage to the cartilages of joints) often precipitated by genitourinary or gastrointestinal infections.
It most commonly strikes individuals aged 20-40, it is more common in men than in women, and more common in white men than in black men. This is due to white individuals being more likely to have tissue type HLA-B27 than black individuals. People with HIV have an increased risk of developing reactive arthritis as well. Food poisoning is a common cause.
Historical Perspective
In fourth century B.C, Hippocrates was the first to associate the presence of arthritis and infection in the genitourinary tract. In 1818, Sir Benjamin Brodie, an English physician was the first to describe the triad of urethritis, arthritis, and conjunctivitis. In 1916, several reports from France & Germany showed association between diarrhea and post-infection arthritis.