Reactive Arthritis

REACTIVE ARTHRITIS

Reactive arthritis. This is characterized by joint pain and swelling brought on by an infection in another area of the body, usually the urinary system, genitalia, or intestines. Usually, this condition affects the feet, ankles, and knees. The eyes, skin, and urethra the tube that exits the body can all be impacted by inflammation.

REACTIVE ARTHRITIS

A bacterial infection can cause reactive arthritis, an uncommon and transient kind of inflammatory arthritis. Your joints, particularly those in your lower body, become painful and stiff as a result. Along with whole-body symptoms like weariness, it can also produce symptoms in other bodily tissues, such as your skin and eyes. It often lasts less than a year, though, and unlike most forms of arthritis, it is not a permanent ailment.

Signs

Joint pain and stiffness are the most typical symptoms of reactive arthritis, particularly in your:
lower back.
Knees.
Ankles.
Feet.
However, you might also have a number of additional symptoms, such as:
redness and swelling in the eyes.
problems related to the digestive system, such as diarrhea and stomach ache.
increased frequency of urination and discomfort during urination.
mouth sores and inflammatory skin rashes.
heel discomfort and Achilles tendonitis.
swelling of the joints, particularly in the sausage fingers of your fingers and toes.
flu-like symptoms, such as body aches, exhaustion, and fever.

Causes

Only a small number of people get Reiter’s syndrome, which usually appears days to weeks after the initial infection is over. An autoimmune reaction seems to be triggered by the infection. This indicates that your immune system overreacts and starts to cause inflammation in healthy areas of your body. Thankfully, reactive arthritis is typically a transient symptom, in contrast to the majority of autoimmune diseases.

Spondyloarthritis is a group of inflammatory arthritis disorders that includes reactive arthritis. These are mostly autoimmune disorders. Why some people develop autoimmune disorders while others do not is a mystery to scientists. Reactive arthritis can develop without a serious infection.

Treatment

Antibiotics. A course of antibiotics, such as doxycycline and rifampin, can occasionally prevent or shorten reactive arthritis, depending on the infection that caused it and whether it is still active.
NSAIDs. A strong nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine (NSAID), such as indomethacin, may be prescribed to you in a high dose for a brief period of time. They will lower your dosage after your symptoms have subsided.
DMARDs. Sulfasalazine and other disease-modifying anti-rheumatic medications (DMARDs) work by reducing the activity of your immune system to treat inflammatory arthritis. If NSAIDs aren’t working, they can help.
Corticosteroids. Although oral steroids are not helpful for the majority of persons with Reiter’s syndrome, these potent anti-inflammatory medications can be used topically or injected into a joint.

Summary

Reactive arthritis is an unanticipated and unwanted encore that shows up just when you thought your infection was ended. It may cause the initial infection’s symptoms to resurface, along with additional ones, especially joint inflammation. It is difficult to live like this, unsure of when it will cease, regardless of how much or little it affects you. However, for the majority of people, it will cease, and therapy can support them until it does.