Reactive arthritis
Background
Associated with bacterial infections
Clinical Features
Can't see, Can't pee, Can't climb a tree (Classical triad uncommonly seen)
- Conjunctivitis or uveitis
- Nongonococcal urethritis
- Asymmetric oligoarthritis
Differential Diagnosis
Monoarticular arthritis
- Acute osteoarthritis
- Avascular necrosis
- Crystal-induced (Gout, Pseudogout)
- Gonococcal arthritis, arthritis-dermatitis syndrome
- Nongonococcal septic arthritis
- Lyme disease
- Malignancy (metastases, osteochondroma, osteoid osteoma)
- Reactive poststreptococcal arthritis
- Trauma-induced arthritis
- Fracture
- Ligamentous injury
- Overuse
- Avascular necrosis
- Decompression sickness
- Spontaneous osteonecrosis
- Hemorrhagic (e.g. hemophilia, systemic anticoagulation
- Seronegative spondyloarthropathies (ankylosing spondylitis, IBD, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis
- RA, SLE
- Sarcoidosis, amyloidosis
- Periarticular pathology
- Transient (Toxic) Synovitis (Hip)
- Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis (SCFE)
- Legg Calve Perthes Disease
Oligoarthritis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Gonococcal arthritis
- Lyme disease
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Reactive arthritis
- Rheumatic fever
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
Polyarthritis
- Fibromyalgia
- Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
- Lyme disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Reactive poststreptococcal arthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Rheumatic fever
- Serum sickness
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Serum sickness–like reactions
- Viral arthritis
Migratory Arthritis
- Gonococcal arthritis
- Lyme disease
- Rheumatic fever
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Viral arthritis
Diagnosis
- Clinical diagnosis
- Must exclude gonococcal arthritis and other systemic disease manifestations
Management
- NSAIDs mainstay of treatment
- Systemic antibiotics do not affect arthritis
- However, consider doxycycline in chlamydia related to improve arthritis symptoms faster
Disposition
- Outpatient follow up, with DMARDs if refractory to NSAIDs
- 70% self-limited disease