2021 Mar 7. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan–.
ABSTRACT
Reactive arthritis (ReA) is inflammatory arthritis that manifests after several days to weeks after a gastrointestinal or genitourinary infection. It is also described as a classic triad of arthritis, urethritis and, conjunctivitis. However, a majority of patients do not present with the classic triad. It was previously called "Reiter syndrome," named after Hans Reiter, who first described this syndrome. The name Reiter syndrome was dismissed because it is believed that Hans Reiter was a member of The National Socialist German Workers' Party or the “Nazis” and the director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Experimental Therapy under whose leadership the war prisoners were subject to many inhumane experiments. Today, it is believed that the disorder is due to an aberrant autoimmune response to the gastrointestinal infection caused by salmonella, shigella, campylobacter, or chlamydia.