Questions and Answers About Reactive Arthritis This booklet contains general information about reactive arthritis. It describes what reactive arthritis is and how it develops. It also explains how reactive arthritis is diagnosed and treated. Medical terms not defined in the text are defined in the "Key Words" section. If you have further questions after reading this booklet, you may wish to discuss them with your doctor. What Is Reactive Arthritis? What Causes Reactive Arthritis? Is Reactive throat pain achilles tendon pain Arthritis Contagious? Who Gets Reactive Arthritis? What Are the Symptoms of Reactive Arthritis? How Is Reactive Arthritis Diagnosed? What Type of Doctor Treats Reactive Arthritis? How Is Reactive Arthritis Treated? What Is the Prognosis for People Who Have Reactive Arthritis? What Are Researchers Learning About Reactive Arthritis? Where Can People Get More Information About Reactive Arthritis? Key Words What Is Reactive Arthritis? Reactive arthritis is a form of arthritis, or joint inflammation, that occurs as a "reaction" pain clinic achilles tendon pain to an infection elsewhere in the body. Inflammation is a characteristic reaction of tissues to injury or disease and is marked by swelling, redness, heat, and pain. Besides this joint inflammation, reactive arthritis is associated with two other symptoms: redness and inflammation of the eyes (conjunctivitis) and inflammation of the urinary tract (urethritis). These symptoms may occur alone, together, or not at all. Reactive arthritis is also known as Reiter's syndrome, and your doctor may refer achilles tendon pain achilles tendon pain to it by yet another term, as a seronegative spondyloarthropathy. The seronegative spondyloarthropathies are a group of disorders that can cause inflammation throughout the body, especially in the spine. (Examples of other disorders in this group include psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and the kind of arthritis that sometimes accompanies inflammatory bowel disease.) In many patients, reactive arthritis is triggered by a venereal infection in the bladder, the urethra, or, in women, the vagina (the urogenital tract) rhumetoid arthritis achilles tendon pain that is often
