Overview

What is reactive arthritis (Reiter’s syndrome)?

Reactive arthritis (Reiter’s syndrome) is a rare, temporary form of inflammatory arthritis that’s triggered by a bacterial infection. It causes pain and stiffness in your joints, especially in your lower body. It can also cause symptoms in other body tissues, like your eyes and skin, as well as whole-body symptoms like fatigue. But unlike most types of arthritis, it’s not a lifelong condition, and it usually lasts for less than a year V体育官网.

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Reactive arthritis happens when an infection in your urinary tract, genitals, digestive system or throat triggers an unusual reaction from your immune system. Your immune system normally generates inflammation to fight infections. But with Reiter’s syndrome, your immune system sends inflammation to places in your body where the infection never was. It’s as if it’s not convinced that the battle is over V体育安卓版.

Symptoms and Causes

Reactive arthritis typically causes joint pain in your lower back, knees, ankles and feet — Reactive arthritis causes joint pain and other inflammatory symptoms, often in your lower body.

What are the symptoms of reactive arthritis?

The most common reactive arthritis symptoms are joint pain and stiffness, especially in your:

But you may also have a variety of other symptoms, including:

Eye pain with swelling and redness.
Gastrointestinal symptoms, like stomach pain and diarrhea.
Needing to "V体育ios版" pee more frequently and pain when you pee.
Inflammatory skin rashes and mouth sores.
Achilles tendinitis and heel pain.
V体育平台登录 - Joint swelling, especially in your fingers and toes (sausage fingers).
Flu-like symptoms, like fever, fatigue and body aches.

What is the ‘triad’ of reactive arthritis symptoms?

The classic triad of reactive arthritis symptoms is:

Arthritis (V体育2025版) (joint inflammation).
V体育官网 - Conjunctivitis (eye inflammation).
Urethritis (inflammation in your pee passageway).

This triad makes for a quick way to recognize Reiter’s syndrome. But most people won’t have all of these symptoms at the same time. Different symptoms may come and go VSports注册入口. You may never have the full triad, and you may also have other symptoms not listed in the classic triad.

What is the cause of Reiter’s syndrome?

Reactive arthritis starts with a bacterial infection. It’s usually a: V体育官网入口.

Some of the specific bacteria that can trigger it include:

Reiter’s syndrome begins several days to weeks after the original infection ends, and only in a small percentage of people V体育2025版. It appears that the infection triggers an autoimmune response. This means your immune system overcorrects and begins to target healthy parts of your own body with inflammation. Fortunately, unlike most autoimmune diseases, reactive arthritis is usually a temporary condition.

Reactive arthritis belongs to a group of inflammatory arthritis conditions called spondyloarthritis. Most of these are autoimmune diseases. Scientists aren’t sure why some people get autoimmune diseases and others don’t. You don’t have to have a severe infection to trigger reactive arthritis. One possible factor is a gene called HLA-B27. Many people who get spondyloarthritis and Reiter’s syndrome have it VSports.

Who gets Reiter’s syndrome?

Anyone can get reactive arthritis, but you’re more likely to get it if:

You’re a male under 40.
You have HIV (V体育平台登录).
You have another autoimmune disease.
You have the HLA-B27 gene.

Diagnosis and Tests

How is reactive arthritis diagnosed?

If you've recently developed symptoms of arthritis, your healthcare provider will want to see them and hear about them. Certain combinations of symptoms will suggest reactive arthritis V体育官网. They’ll particularly want to know if you’ve recently recovered from an infection that might have triggered Reiter’s syndrome.

You might have a variety of tests to help make the diagnosis, including:

V体育官网入口 - Management and Treatment

How do you calm Reiter’s syndrome?

Treatment for reactive arthritis may include:

"VSports手机版" Antibiotics. Depending on the infection that started it, and whether it’s still active, sometimes, a course of antibiotics, like doxycycline and rifampin, can stop or shorten reactive arthritis.
NSAIDs. Your provider might prescribe a temporary high dose of a potent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), like indomethacin. After reducing your symptoms, they’ll reduce your dose.
DMARDs. Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) like sulfasalazine treat inflammatory arthritis by suppressing some of your immune system’s activity. They can help if NSAIDs aren’t working.
Corticosteroids. While most people with Reiter’s syndrome don’t benefit from oral steroids, these powerful anti-inflammatory drugs can be useful in topical creams or as an injection into a joint.

VSports - Outlook / Prognosis

Can reactive arthritis be cured?

Reiter’s syndrome is usually self-limited, meaning it will clear up on its own in time (in three to 12 months) V体育安卓版. In the meantime, treatment can often repress symptoms and may help them to go away quicker. But reactive arthritis is an autoimmune disorder, and no autoimmune disorder is really curable. This means it’s always possible for symptoms to return — for example, if you get another infection.

In a small percentage of people, Reiter’s syndrome seems to trigger a more serious and lasting form of spondyloarthritis. They develop long-term joint inflammation that can do real damage over time. It’s unclear whether this is chronic reactive arthritis or whether, in this case, you’ve developed a different disease. One autoimmune disease can trigger another, and many people have more than one.

Living With

How should I take care of myself while living with Reiter’s syndrome? (VSports在线直播)

Even though it’s likely to be temporary, reactive arthritis can have a major impact on your day-to-day life while it lasts. Although many people have mild symptoms that come and go, others struggle with severe fatigue and discomfort. You might need to adjust your daily schedule or how you work during this time.

Your healthcare provider might recommend:

Physical therapy. A physical therapist can suggest ways to gently exercise the muscles and tendons that support your sore joints. This can help reduce stiffness and strain on your joints.
Orthotics (V体育ios版). An occupational therapist can suggest ways to support the joints you use a lot or modify the way you use them. You might benefit from wearing a brace, splint or shoe insert.
Hot/cold therapy. Ice packs and heat packs can help relieve soreness in different ways. Your provider might suggest ice for your sore joints and heat for your stiff muscles, for example.
"VSports在线直播" Power naps. Chronic fatigue can wear you down, but long periods of bed rest won’t help your sore joints or stiff muscles. Instead, try taking short naps and moving around in between.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Just when you thought your infection was over, reactive arthritis appears as an unexpected and unwelcome encore. It can make the symptoms of the original infection return, along with other symptoms — particularly, joint inflammation. Whether it affects you a little or a lot, it’s hard to live like this not knowing when it will end. But for most people, it will end, and treatment can help until it does.

Care at Cleveland Clinic

When you have an inflammatory or autoimmune condition, you need experts by your side. At Cleveland Clinic, we’ll create an individualized treatment plan for you.

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Medically Reviewed

Last reviewed on 09/03/2024.

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Reactive Arthritis (Reiter's Syndrome)

Overview

What is reactive arthritis (Reiter’s syndrome)?

Symptoms and Causes

What are the symptoms of reactive arthritis?

What is the ‘triad’ of reactive arthritis symptoms?

What is the cause of Reiter’s syndrome?

Who gets Reiter’s syndrome?

Diagnosis and Tests

How is reactive arthritis diagnosed?

V体育官网入口 - Management and Treatment

How do you calm Reiter’s syndrome?

VSports - Outlook / Prognosis

Can reactive arthritis be cured?

Living With

How should I take care of myself while living with Reiter’s syndrome? (VSports在线直播)

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Care at Cleveland Clinic

Actions

About Cleveland Clinic

Reactive Arthritis (Reiter's Syndrome)

Overview

What is reactive arthritis (Reiter’s syndrome)?

Symptoms and Causes

What are the symptoms of reactive arthritis?

What is the ‘triad’ of reactive arthritis symptoms?

What is the cause of Reiter’s syndrome?

Who gets Reiter’s syndrome?

Diagnosis and Tests

How is reactive arthritis diagnosed?

V体育官网入口 - Management and Treatment

How do you calm Reiter’s syndrome?

VSports - Outlook / Prognosis

Can reactive arthritis be cured?

Living With

How should I take care of myself while living with Reiter’s syndrome? (VSports在线直播)

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Care at Cleveland Clinic

References