reactive arthritis

Question 1

what is it?

Answer 1

infection induced systemic illness

Question 2

what is it characterised by?

Answer 2

inflammatory synovitis which micro-organisms cannot be cultured

Question 3

what are the causes?

Answer 3

urogenital infections
STIs or gastroenteritis

Question 4

which antigen is positive?

Answer 4

HLA B27

Question 5

what is the pathophysiology?

Answer 5

occurs in response to infection in another part of body
large joints become inflamed around week 1-3
infection triggers autoimmune arthropathy

Question 6

what is arthropathy?

Answer 6

disease of a joint

Question 7

what are symptoms?

Answer 7

fever, fatigue, malaise
asymmetrical monoarthritis or oligoarthritis
enthesitis

Question 8

what are signs?

Answer 8

mucocutaneous lesions
eye involvement ocular lesions - conjunctivitis, iritis
vissceral - mild renal disease, carditis
Reiter’s

Question 9

what is the triad for Reiter’s syndrome?

Answer 9

urethritis, uveitis/conjunctivitis, arthritis
can’t pee, can’t see, can’t climb a tree

Question 10

what is diagnosis based on?

Answer 10

symptoms and signs + history

Question 11

what is management?

Answer 11

aimed at underlying infection, symptomatic relief incl. IA or IM steroid injections
most self-limiting
some chronic progressive - DMARDs