Reactive arthritis – what it is and how to treat it

A rare autoimmune reaction to an infection resulting in joint inflammation and painful symptoms, reactive arthritis can take several months to get better. Find out what causes it and how to treat key symptoms.

What are the symptoms?

What causes it?

When to see a doctor and getting diagnosed

What are the treatments? 

Self-care tips

How to prevent it from coming back

Reactive arthritis usually follows an infection such as food poisoning or an STI, and causes joint pain and inflammation. Although it is pretty rare, symptoms can last for several months. Find out what treatment you may need and which self-care tips can help – plus how to prevent it coming back. 

Reactive arthritis – once known as Reiter’s syndrome – is the body’s overreaction to an infection, such as food poisoning or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). 

It causes inflammation and swollen, painful joints in different parts of the body, mainly affecting knees, feet, toes, hips, and ankles but it can also affect your genital tract and eyes.

Although there is no cure, there are treatment and self-care tips available to help clear up any infection and relieve symptoms of inflammation while they last. In most cases of reactive arthritis it gets better after a few months without any long-term issues. But sometimes it can take longer. 

Reactive arthritis can be difficult to diagnose and can also come back once you’ve had it so make sure you know the symptoms to look out for – and what you can do to reduce your risk of getting it again. 


## What are the symptoms?

Reactive arthritis can cause inflammation of the:

- joints
- eyes
- urinary tract. 

However, you may not notice problems in all three areas or at the same time.

Common symptoms include:

- pain, stiffness, and swelling in joints and tendons – particularly in your knees, heels, toes, hips, and ankles
- pain when peeing – or noticing discharge from the penis or vagina
- eye pain – or redness, sticky discharge, conjunctivitis and, in rare cases, inflammation of the eye (iritis). 

__Note that symptoms of iritis include pain in the eye and misty/cloudy vision. If you experience these symptoms, [get urgent medical help](https://www.livehealthily.com/health-library/conditions/reactive-arthritis#when-to-see-a-doctor).__

Other symptoms of reactive arthritis you may notice include:
- feeling unwell and fatigued 
- having a fever
- losing weight 
- diarrhea and abdominal pain
- developing mouth ulcers (or small ulcers on the penis for men)
- a skin rash on palms of the feet or soles of the hands
- thickened nails. 

As reactive arthritis is a post-viral infection you may have recently recovered or be recovering from a stomach bug or STI. Symptoms of reactive arthritis may then begin quite soon or within a few weeks later. 

Note that if your infection is mild you may not realize the trigger of reactive arthritis symptoms. 


Get help with this

## What causes it?

Reactive arthritis is an immune response to an infection, commonly a sexually transmitted infection such as [chlamydia](https://www.livehealthily.com/health-library/conditions/chlamydia), or infection from food such as [salmonella](https://www.livehealthily.com/health-library/conditions/salmonella-infection), shigella, or campylobacter.

It is a rare condition and although it is not known why some people get reactive arthritis and others do not, you are more at risk of getting it if you have had an STI or gastrointestinal infection and: 

- are aged between 20-40 
- are male, if it’s a result of an STI  
- carry a specific gene (HLA-B27). 

Reactive arthritis is not contagious but the bacteria that caused it can be passed on via an STI or from food. 


## When to see a doctor and getting diagnosed

If you have any signs of reactive arthritis, particularly if you recently had food poisoning, an STI, or other infection, make an appointment with your doctor. Seek urgent medical care if you have symptoms of iritis, which include pain in the eye and misty/cloudy vision. 

If you have a sexually transmitted infection or think you might have, see your doctor as soon as possible.

In some cases, symptoms of reactive arthritis may take time to clear up so it is worth starting a treatment plan as soon as possible. 

To help diagnose reactive arthritis your doctor will consider your recent health history and will probably recommend further tests, such as blood, urine, ultrasound, or X-rays. This is to rule out other conditions and to check for any ongoing infections that may need treating. 


## What are the treatments? 
There is no cure for reactive arthritis but there are treatments to target underlying infections and relieve inflammation symptoms such as pain and swelling. 

Here’s what can help:
- __antibiotics__ – to clear up an infection that may have caused reactive arthritis and still needs to be treated
- __pain relief__ – such as over-the-counter ibuprofen (NSAIDs) to reduce inflammation and help ease painful joints
- __steroids__ – prescribed for joint pain, eye or skin symptoms
- __DMARDs__ – this stands for disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, which may be required to treat arthritis symptoms that do not respond to other medication.

If joint pain is particularly debilitating, you may benefit from physical therapy to help strengthen muscles and take the pressure off joints.

Most people should make a full recovery within 12 months. However, it can lead to long-term joint problems in rare cases. 


## Self-care tips

There are a few things you can try to do yourself, to help manage symptoms. Try:

- finding a balance between rest and movement. Although taking pressure off sore joints will relieve pain, you still need some mobility to keep them flexible and strong
- using heat and ice packs to relieve pain 
- starting a gentle exercise routine to get stronger and stay mobile once things start improving. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist if you are unsure
- supporting joints by using a walking stick or wearing splints, inserts, or padded insoles in shoes. 


## How to prevent it from coming back

Once you’ve had reactive arthritis there is a chance you could get it again if you get another infection. 

These tips can help minimize your risk of infection that can trigger reactive arthritis:

- use condoms to protect against STIs
- refrigerate food correctly and make sure it is cooked through and piping hot before eating to avoid food poisoning or bowel infections 
- always wash your hands well with soap and warm water after using the toilet and before eating or preparing food. 


error

 There was an error when submitting your feedback – have a screen break then try again in a few minutes.

Oh no, something’s gone wrong

ANY COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS?

initial

This isn’t helpful

This isn’t relevant

Something is wrong

This isn’t accurate

Please select one.

loading

success

We're listening – we use your feedback to improve your experience, and make our content more helpful.

Thank you for your feedback

References

Juliet Blank

Jo Wheatley

Dr Tamer T Malak

Article information

All of Healthily's articles undergo medical safety checks to verify that the information is medically safe. View more details in our <a href="/safety" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">safety page</a>, or read our <a href="/legal/editorial-policy-principles" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">editorial policy</a>.