[Reiter's disease--a review of an interdisciplinary disease]

Over the past 20 years the term 'Reiter's disease' has been expanded from the classical triad of sterile urethritis, conjunctivitis and arthritis to include a broader range of reactive arthritides. Indeed, the classical syndrome as described by Reiter is rarely seen in its complete form, and the presence or absence of active infection in the joint is being redefined in the light of recent techniques of molecular biology. The terminology of Reiter's syndrome, reactive arthritis and seronegative spondylarthropathy are defined here using case examples.