Knowra Reactive arthritis Reactive arthritis Reactive arthritis is joint inflammation that develops after an infection, usually in the gut or urinary tract. The triggering microbes are not typically found in the inflamed joint.
Molecular mimicry : An immune process in which antibodies or immune cells that recognize a foreign molecule also react with a similar host molecule. Shared microbial and human features may help explain how infection triggers inflammation at distant joints.
Arthrocentesis : A procedure that removes fluid from a joint with a needle for diagnostic testing or symptom relief. Joint-fluid analysis helps exclude septic arthritis, which requires urgent treatment.
Hans Reiter : A German physician who described a triad of arthritis, urethritis, and conjunctivitis during World War I. The syndrome was once named for him, though that eponym is now avoided because of his Nazi history.
Septic arthritis : Joint inflammation caused by microorganisms infecting the joint itself. Unlike reactive arthritis, septic arthritis is a direct joint infection and an emergency.
Conjunctivitis : Inflammation of the conjunctiva, the thin membrane covering the eye’s white surface and inner eyelids. This eye symptom can occur alongside joint and urinary symptoms in reactive arthritis.
HLA-B27 : A cell-surface protein variant associated with increased risk of several inflammatory diseases, including reactive arthritis. Its association suggests that inherited immune differences can shape susceptibility and disease course.
Synovial fluid analysis : Laboratory examination of joint fluid for cells, crystals, microorganisms, and other diagnostic clues. It helps distinguish sterile inflammation from direct bacterial infection in a swollen joint.
Reiter syndrome : A historical name for reactive arthritis, especially the triad of arthritis, urethritis, and conjunctivitis. The older label is less accurate and carries an association with Hans Reiter’s wartime crimes.
Rheumatoid arthritis : A chronic autoimmune disease that usually causes symmetric inflammation of multiple joints. Its persistent, often symmetric pattern differs from arthritis following a discrete infection.
Keratoderma blennorrhagicum : A thick, scaly skin eruption that can appear on the palms and soles in reactive arthritis. It is a distinctive, though uncommon, skin manifestation of the disease.
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