Spondyloarthritis

Reactive Arthritis

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Signs and Symptoms

Reactive arthritis, formerly called Reiter's Syndrome, typically occurs as a reaction to an infection somewhere else in the body, usually the bowel or urogenital tract. Chlamydia trachomatis is the bacteria most commonly associated with reactive arthritis of the urogenital tract. Eating foods or substances contaminated by bacteria, such as salmonella, shigella, campylobacter and yersinia, can cause intestinal reactive arthritis. In many patients, the infection is not obvious.

General symptoms of reactive arthritis usually begin about one to three weeks after an infection. The initial symptoms include joint pain and swelling, skin rashes, mouth sores, redness of the eyes, fever and weight loss. Symptoms may come and go, and may be so mild that patients do not notice them.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated May 8, 2007