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Reactive arthritis: incidence, triggering agents and clinical presentation
The Journal of Rheumatology
|January 1, 1994
Summary
Reactive arthritides, including Chlamydia-induced and enterobacteria-triggered arthritis, have a high incidence in adults aged 18-60. Early arthritis evaluation is crucial, even when triggering infections are asymptomatic.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Reactive arthritis is a form of inflammatory arthritis.
- It can be triggered by infections, often in the genitourinary or gastrointestinal tract.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence of reactive arthritis subgroups.
- To describe clinical and microbiological features of reactive arthritis.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of patients aged 18-60 with suspected reactive arthritis over 2 years.
- Inclusion of patients primarily seen by general practitioners.
Main Results:
- Annual minimum incidence of Chlamydia-induced arthritis: 4.6/100,000.
- Annual minimum incidence of enterobacteria-triggered arthritis: 5.0/100,000.
- 36% and 26% of triggering infections were asymptomatic, respectively. Patients with self-limiting arthritis (11.0/100,000) showed normal HLA-B27 prevalence and heterogeneous arthritis patterns.
Conclusions:
- Epidemiological data confirm high incidence rates of reactive arthritides.
- Consider reactive arthritis in early arthritis cases, even without apparent triggering infection symptoms.