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Ann Rheum Dis 1999;58:737-741 doi:10.1136/ard.58.12.737
  • Review

Two forms of reactive arthritis?

  1. Paavo Toivanen,
  2. Auli Toivanen
  1. Turku Immunology Centre, Departments of Medical Microbiology and Medicine, Turku University, Turku, Finland
  1. Dr P Toivanen, Department of Medical Microbiology, Turku University, FIN-20520 Turku, Finland
  • Accepted 26 August 1999

Abstract

Inflammatory arthritides developing after a distant infection have so far been called reactive or postinfectious, quite often depending on the microbial trigger and/or HLA-B27 status of the patient. For clarity, it is proposed that they all should be called reactive arthritis, which, according to the trigger, occurs as an HLA-B27 associated or non-associated form. In addition to the causative agents and HLA-B27, these two categories are also distinguished by other characteristics. Most important, HLA-B27 associated arthritis may occur identical to the Reiter's syndrome with accompanying uretheritis and/or conjunctivitis, whereas in the B27 non-associated form this has not been clearly described. Likewise, only the B27 associated form belongs to the group of spondyloarthropathies.

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