The Reiter’s syndrome is also called as reactive arthritis. Reactive arthritis or Reiter’s syndrome is a group of disorders which includes conjunctivitis in the eyes, urinary tract infections and painful joints. The Reiter’s syndrome is called ‘reactive arthritis’ as the arthritis occurs as a reaction to an infection starting elsewhere in the body. It is also called as seronegative spondyloarthropathy, as it is a group of conditions or disorders which cause inflammation in the joints of the body. Reactive arthritis also includes ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel syndrome arthritis. Early diagnosis and treatment is important to prevent the onset of painful joints so it is important to know if you have arthritis and if so of what type.

The diagnosis of Reiter’s syndrome is generally done by physically examining the patient. It can take time as it depends upon the physical examination showing signs of the disease or characteristic physical findings. All of the symptoms may not be present in a patient so the more physical findings one experiences, the more definite will be the diagnosis.  Certain physical conditions such as skin lesions with their definite characteristics combined with joint pain help in diagnosis of Reiter’s syndrome.

The doctors also depend on imaging tests such as X-rays of the lower spine or of the pelvis for the diagnosis of Reiter’s syndrome. Also, removing fluid from a painful joint to examine it for a higher number of white blood cells can also help in the diagnosis of Reiter’s syndrome. The diagnosis is also made based on the patient’s history of infection and physical examination after identifying the symptoms. Tests are recommended to ascertain the cause of joint inflammation such as gout or an infection.

The Reiter’s syndrome can be cured with proper therapy on time although the condition may vary. In severe cases, a person can have vision problems, joint damage or disability. In milder cases the disease can bother for a shorter period of time. The prognosis of Reiter’s syndrome is that it can be risky if the disease has affected male gender, there is a venereal infection, the hip is affected, there is limited back motion or there is swollen finger or toe. Also, if the blood tests show body wide inflammation, show very poor response to initial treatment or show the presence of gene marker HLA-B27 then the syndrome may be risky.