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Reactive arthritis after enteric infections in the United States: the problem of definition

John M Townes1

  • 1Division of Infectious Diseases, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239-3098, USA. Townesj@ohsu.edu

Clinical Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
|December 23, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Reactive arthritis (ReA) following bacterial enteric infections is a significant health issue in the US. Further research is needed to define ReA and understand its full impact.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Rheumatology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Bacterial enteric infections lead to considerable illness in the United States, including long-term complications.
  • Reactive arthritis (ReA) is an incompletely defined condition that can arise after infections like Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, and Yersinia.
  • Existing research on ReA following enteric infections in the US is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review clinical and epidemiologic investigations of Reactive Arthritis (ReA) after bacterial enteric infections in the United States.
  • To highlight the need for clearer definitions and further population-based studies to understand the burden of ReA.

Main Methods:

  • Review of clinical and epidemiologic literature on Reactive Arthritis (ReA) following bacterial enteric infections in the US.
  • Analysis of existing population-based studies and outbreak investigations.

Main Results:

  • Only two population-based studies on ReA following enteric infection have been conducted in the US.
  • ReA following Campylobacter and Yersinia outbreaks has not been investigated.
  • Past studies on Shigella and Salmonella outbreaks focused on the outdated concept of Reiter's syndrome rather than ReA.

Conclusions:

  • A clearer definition of Reactive Arthritis (ReA) is essential before further epidemiologic studies can accurately determine its burden.
  • Additional research is required to fully understand the scope and impact of ReA following bacterial enteric infections in the US.

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