NORD's
Washington Office
 Read about events on Capitol Hill, funding for rare-disease research, and other topics of interest from NORD's office in Washington, DC.
|
|
|
The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) web site, its databases,
and the contents thereof are copyrighted by NORD. No part of the NORD web
site, databases, or the contents may be copied in any way, including but not
limited to the following: electronically downloading, storing in a retrieval
system, or redistributing for any commercial purposes without the express
written permission of NORD. Permission is hereby granted to print one hard
copy of the information on an individual disease for your personal use,
provided that such content is in no way modified, and the credit for the
source (NORD) and NORD’s copyright notice are included on the printed copy.
Any other electronic reproduction or other printed versions is strictly
prohibited.
The information in NORD's Rare Disease Database is for educational purposes only. It
should never be used for diagnostic or treatment purposes. If you have questions regarding
a medical condition, always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health
professional. NORD's reports provide a brief overview of rare diseases. For more specific
information, we encourage you to contact your personal physician or the agencies listed as
"Resources" on this report.
Copyright 1986, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2007, 2009, 2010
NORD is very grateful to John D. Carter, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Chief of Rheumatology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, for assistance in the preparation of this report.
Synonyms of Arthritis, Reactive
- Fiessinger-Leroy disease
- ReiterÂ’s syndrome
Disorder Subdivisions
General Discussion
Reactive arthritis is a general term for a form of joint inflammation (arthritis) that develops as a “reaction” to an infection in another area of the body (i.e., outside of the joints). Joint inflammation is characterized by redness, swelling, pain and warmth in and around the affected joint. In reactive arthritis, the joints of the lower limbs are most often affected. Two other common symptoms of reactive arthritis are inflammation of the urinary tract and inflammation of the membrane (conjunctiva) that lines the eyelids (conjunctivitis). These three characteristic symptoms may occur separately, all at once or not at all. Additional symptoms such as fever, weight loss, lower back pain and heel pain may also occur. Reactive arthritis usually develops following a bout with certain bacterial infections including Chlamydia, Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, and Campylobacter.
Reactive arthritis belongs to a group of related disorders known as the spondyloarthropathies. These disorders are linked by the association of similar symptoms and a specific genetic marker called HLA-B27. Symptoms common to these disorders include arthritis, especially of the lower limbs, lower back pain and enthesitis, a condition characterized by inflammation at the spot where skeletal muscle attaches to bone. This group of disorders includes reactive arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, undifferentiated spondyloarthritis and spondyloarthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease.
Reactive arthritis is a poorly defined disorder that has been described in the medical literature under many different names. No precise diagnostic or classification criteria have been developed that are universally agreed upon in the medical community.
.
Organizations related to Arthritis, Reactive
- American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, Inc.
22100 Gratiot Avenue
Eastpointe MI 48021
Phone #: 586-776-3900
800 #: 800-598-4668
e-mail: aarda@aarda.org
Home page: http://www.aarda.org/
- Arthritis Foundation
P.O. Box 7669
Atlanta GA 30357-0669
Phone #: 404-965-7627
800 #: 800-283-7800
e-mail: arthritisfoundation@arthritis.org
Home page: http://www.arthritis.org
- Arthritis Society
393 University Avenue
Suite 1700
Toronto
Ontario Intl M5G IE6
Phone #: (41-6) -979-7228
800 #: (80-0) -321-1433
e-mail: info@arthritis.ca
Home page: http://www.arthritis.ca
- Autoimmune Information Network, Inc
PO Box 4121
Brick NJ 08723
Phone #: 732-664-9259
800 #: N/A
e-mail: autoimmunehelp@aol.com
Home page: http://www.aininc.org
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road
Atlanta GA 30333
Phone #: 404-639-3534
800 #: 800-232-4636
e-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov
Home page: http://www.cdc.gov/
- Genetic and Rare Diseases (GARD) Information Center
PO Box 8126
Gaithersburg MD 20898-8126
Phone #: 301-251-4925
800 #: 888-205-2311
e-mail: http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/GARD/EmailForm.aspx
Home page: http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/GARD
- KickAS.org
11688 North Sage Brook Road
Oro Valley AZ 85737-7342
Phone #: 520-544-3023
800 #: N/A
e-mail: kickas@gmail.com
Home page: http://www.kickas.org
- MUMS National Parent-to-Parent Network
150 Custer Court
Green Bay WI 54301-1243
Phone #: 920-336-5333
800 #: 877-336-5333
e-mail: mums@netnet.net
Home page: http://www.netnet.net/mums/
- Madisons Foundation
PO Box 241956
Los Angeles CA 90024
Phone #: 310-264-0826
800 #: N/A
e-mail: getinfo@madisonsfoundation.org
Home page: http://www.madisonsfoundation.org
- NIH/National Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Information Clearinghouse
1 AMS Circle
Bethesda MD 20892-3675
Phone #: 301-495-4484
800 #: 877-226-4267
e-mail: NIAMSinfo@mail.nih.gov
Home page: http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info
- Ocular Immunology and Uveitis Foundation
5 Cambridge Center
8th Floor
Cambridge MA 02142
Phone #: 617-621-6377
800 #: 866-353-6377
e-mail: fosters@comcast.net
Home page: http://www.uveitis.org
- Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S.
90 John St. Suite 704,
New York NY 10038
Phone #: 212-819-9770
800 #: --
e-mail: siecus@siecus.org
Home page: http://www.siecus.org
- Spondylitis Association of America
P.O. Box 5872
Sherman Oaks CA 91413
Phone #: 818-892-1616
800 #: 800-777-8189
e-mail: info@spondylitis.org
Home page: http://www.spondylitis.org
|
|
