Reiter's Syndrome Arthritis
Reiter's syndrome is often mistakenly called reactive arthritis, according to the Mayo Clinic. This is due to the fact that it is actually a reactive arthritis subtype. While it shares many things in common with reactive arthritis in general, it usually only affects the eyes, joints and urethra. On the other hand, reactive arthritis may affect those three areas as well as the heels, feet, vertebrae, lower back, buttocks and sacroiliac joints. Therefore, it is important to realize that Reiter's syndrome arthritis and reactive arthritis are not identical.
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Reiter's Syndrome Arthritis Causes
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According to a published study by Dr. Bradley A. Conner of New York-Presbyterian Hospital (and appearing in the Center for Disease Control Vol. 7 No. 3 issue -- see link in the Resources section below), Reiter's syndrome arthritis initially occurs due to some type of triggering infection (bacterial, sexually transmitted or through food contamination). And the infectious trigger is generally due to one of the following: campylobacter, chlamydia, Clostridium difficile, cryptosporidium, cyclospora, salmonella or shigella.
Considerations
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Cyclospora, as one of the Reiter's syndrome triggers, could be debatable however, since the first known case in which it actually lead to Reiter's syndrome was not documented until 1997, when Conner and his colleagues performed their study on a 38-year-old man.
It is interesting to note, however, that cyclospora was the cause of large infectious outbreaks in both 1996 and 1997 (due to intestinal illness), thus leading the aforementioned study (published in Issue 7 of the CDC) to conclude from these outbreaks (as well as their study) the relevance of cyclospora as a new Reiter's syndrome arthritis trigger.
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Significance
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Do an online search for the word Reiter's syndrome arthritis and you will soon learn that although Reiter's syndrome is a subtype of reactive arthritis, you would be hard-pressed to find most websites recognizing that as the term has fallen out of favor. Even the American College of Rheumatology and the Mayo Clinic do not recognize the medical name Reiter's syndrome, but instead use reactive arthritis to label both conditions.
Symptoms
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Symptoms of Reiter's syndrome arthritis are usually exhibited sometime between one to four weeks after infection takes place. And the location of the condition in the body will determine exact symptoms. For example, inflammation in the affected area is common, but that could be in the eyes, the urethra or any number of bone joints. Eye inflammation is usually also accompanied by symptoms of eye irritation, pain, redness or blurry vision.
But inflammation in bone joints would most likely also include the symptoms of pain and swelling in the affected area, while inflammation in the urinary tract could include these symptoms: fever, chills, increased need to urinate, discomfort or pain during urination, penis or vagina discharge, and even pelvic or abdominal pain. In addition, skin rashes and mouth sores are also possible symptoms.
Other Important Information
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While there is no cure for Reiter's syndrome arthritis, sufferers generally experience a decrease in symptoms (or their effects) with proper treatment and over time. However, it isn't uncommon for symptoms to come and go even with treatment. But most people with Reiter's syndrome recover sometime between the second and sixth months after symptoms start.
Treatment varies due to the type of infection causing the condition, with medications ranging from over-the-counter acetaminophen to steroids to antibiotics. One of the best ways to recognize Reiter's on your own is to determine if your sudden arthritis symptoms were directly preceded by an intestinal or other infection within the previous four weeks.
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