The symptoms of Reiter’s syndrome often begin with inflammation of the intestinal or urinary tracts. This can set off a disease which involves the joints, eyes, skin and urinary tract. All of these symptoms may not be present in the Reiter’s syndrome sufferers.

The first symptom can be identified if there is great deal of pain and swelling in the joints. Many a times the pain is involved in the spine, large joints of the legs or the sacroiliac joints. The affected joints are generally in asymmetric manners which mean, it affects a small number of joints on the opposite sides of the body.  Heels, where tendons and bones connect, small joints of ankles or toes can be affected too. Many people have periodic attack generally lasting for three to six months of arthritis as opposed to some who have constant pain of arthritis. The joint inflammation in Reiter’s syndrome generally doesn’t lead to permanent damage or disability in the joints.

Individuals experience an inflammation of the membranes under the eyelids. It can be mild or can be painful. But the infection is short-lived and doesn’t cause permanent damage. About five percent of the people with Reiter’s syndrome may develop iritis which is an inflammation of the iris and the tissues inside the eye which are responsible for opening and closing of pupil. It should be treated in time else scarring can occur and this may in turn affect the vision of the eye.

Another major symptom is the urinary tract infection which involves inflammation of the urethra or the bladder accompanied by burning sensation during urination. In men, it is accompanied by a painless discharge from the penis. Men can also have inflammation of the prostate gland. In women, inflammation of the bladder termed as Cystitis can occur.

Skin problems are one of the many symptoms of Reiter’s syndrome. There can be noticeable sores in the mouth or the tongue, or painless sores can occur on the penis.  Women may develop sores on their external genital organs.
A Rash may occur on the soles of the feet. It is less common on the feet or other areas of the body. The rash may be generally made of thick and hyper pigmented outer layers of the skin. Generally these problems do not pose a permanent damage and go away with time.  It is always better to be aware of the Symptoms of Reiter’s Syndrome so as to take precautionary measures in time.