Reiter's disease in three boys.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Rheumatology
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Background:

• Reiter's disease, now known as reactive arthritis, is a form of spondyloarthritis.
• It typically affects young adults and is characterized by the triad of arthritis, urethritis, and conjunctivitis.
• While commonly associated with genitourinary or gastrointestinal infections, its presentation in pre-pubertal boys is less common.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report three distinct cases of Reiter's disease in prepubertal boys.
• To describe the varied clinical presentations, including dysenteric and sexually acquired forms, in this age group.
• To discuss the epidemiological features, such as diarrhea and sex incidence, in pediatric cases.

Main Methods:

• Case report analysis of three pediatric patients diagnosed with Reiter's disease.
• Clinical data review, including presenting symptoms, diagnostic findings, and treatment outcomes.
• Comparison of observed cases with existing literature on Reiter's disease epidemiology and clinical patterns.

Main Results:

• One case presented with Salmonella enteritidis-induced diarrhea, consistent with the dysenteric form of Reiter's disease.
• Another case exhibited monarticular arthritis of the knee.
• A third case developed chronic, relapsing, erosive arthritis from sexually acquired Reiter's disease, a novel presentation for this age group.

Conclusions:

• Reiter's disease can manifest in prepubertal boys with diverse clinical presentations.
• The dysenteric form and specific sex incidence (1 female to 4-5 males) in these cases align more with dysenteric origins than venereal transmission.
• Increased awareness of gastrointestinal prodromes and varied arthritic manifestations is crucial for diagnosing Reiter's disease in children.