Reiter’s syndrome is a form of arthritis first discovered by Hans Reiter, a physician in the German army during the World War II.  He described the classical symptoms of the disorder that as arthritis, redness of the eyes, and urinary tract signs. Further investigations and research led the doctors to believe that Reiter’s syndrome is a seronegative spondyloarthropathic disease for this reason this disorder leads to irritation and soreness all over the body. The typical areas of the body predominantly affected by this disease are the parts of the spine the joints where tendons connect with the bones. Reiter’s syndrome is also known as reactive arthritis since the progression of arthritis evolves as a reaction to some form of infection in some other part of the body. This infection may be typically related to the urogenital or the digestive tract.

A conclusive cause of Reiter’s Syndrome has not been identified until date. However, it is believed that the disease is a reactive development to infections in the body. These infections are usually triggered by some environmental factors. When a previous infection is identified, symptoms of Reiter’s syndrome begin to appear anytime between one to three weeks after the infection sets in. Chlamydia trachomatis is the bacterium that is touted as one of the triggers for Reiter’s syndrome. This bacterium is usually contracted by means of unsafe sexual contact. Thus, sexual intercourse with multiple partners can result in the transmitting of Chlamydia that can cause infections of the genital type. Thus, it is imperative to know the sexual history of the partner and refrain from multiplicity of sex partners. Several other bacteria that can be associated with Reiter’s syndrome may enter the body through the digestive tract. These bacteria typically enter the body on consumption of contaminated food. The typical bacteria that may cause reactive arthritis are Shigella, Salmonella, Yersinia, and Campylobacter.

A study for the cause of reactive arthritis also brought to light the fact that the presence of a genetic factor called HLA-B27 in some people makes them susceptible to this ailment. It has been found out that around 80 percent of people with Reiter’s syndrome have tested positive for HLA-B27 and about 6 percent of people who do not have the syndrome have the HLA-B27 gene. Thus, reactive arthritis is the result of the combination of environmental as well as genetic factors.