Other STIs and Genital Conditions

Reiter's disease

Reiter's disease is a reactive arthritis triggered by a preceding infection. This infection may be sexually transmitted (chlamydia, genital mycoplasmas and, to a lesser degree, gonorrhea) or enteric (shigella, salmonella, yersinia and campylobacter). The clinical manifestations of Reiter's syndrome include acute arthritis/arthralgia, lower uro-genital tract inflammation, mucocutaneous inflammatory lesions and conjunctivitis. Urethritis is common in Reiter's syndrome, whether or not the initial infection was sexually transmitted or enteric. Acute Reiter's syndrome can also be accompanied by systemic symptoms such as fever, malaise, anorexia and weight loss. Most acute cases will resolve in 2-6 months with an annual risk of recurrence of 15%. This slide shows circinate balinitis, the most common mucocutaneous inflammation of Reiter's syndrome. Prior to this, the patient experienced urethritis due to a chlamydial infection and had presented with a monoarthritis of the elbow.

photo reproduced with the permission of Dr. Marc Steben