Definition
Reiter's syndrome is an infectious-based inflammatory disease that mainly affects the joints, the urethra and the eyes of patients who are affected.
More specifically, the infectious agents responsible for inflammation are bacteria.
Causes
As mentioned, Reiter's syndrome is caused by a bacterial infection. The microorganisms responsible for this infection can be different, including chlamydia, shigella, salmonella, yersinia and campylobacter.
However, bacterial infection is not sufficient to trigger the disease. In fact, following the attack of these microorganisms - to ensure that Reiter's syndrome develops - it is necessary that there is also a malfunction of the immune system of the infected individual. More in detail, after some time from the infection, the host's immune system attacks the organism itself, a bit like it happens with autoimmune diseases.
Furthermore, according to some researchers, the disease would develop only in individuals with a certain genetic predisposition.
Symptoms
Since the syndrome mainly affects the joints, eyes and urethra, the typical symptoms of this disease are arthritis, conjunctivitis and urethritis. However, patients with Reiter's syndrome may also develop fever, ulcers or mouth sores, fatigue, abdominal pain, diarrhea, thick and brittle nails and a skin rash.
Information on Reiter Syndrome - Drugs and Care is not intended to replace the direct relationship between health professional and patient. Always consult your doctor and / or specialist before taking Reiter's Syndrome - Drugs and Care.
drugs
In truth, there are no specific drugs for the treatment of Reiter's syndrome, but therapies can be undertaken to reduce the symptoms it causes and to fight the bacteria responsible for the infection. Therefore, your doctor may prescribe steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antirheumatic drugs and antibiotics.
For more detailed information regarding the treatment of conjunctivitis and urethritis, see the articles on this site ("Drugs for the treatment of conjunctivitis" and "Drugs for the treatment of urethritis").
Reactive Arthritis of the Knee, one of the classic symptoms of Reiter's Syndrome.
Image from wikipedia.org
NSAIDs
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are widely used to reduce the symptoms caused by Reiter's syndrome, thanks to their anti-inflammatory and analgesic action. Among the various active ingredients that can be used, we recall:
- Ibuprofen (Brufen ®, Moment ®, Nurofen ®, Arfen ®, Actigrip fever and pain ®, Vicks fever and pain ®): ibuprofen is a drug available in different pharmaceutical formulations suitable for different routes of administration. When administered orally, the dose of ibuprofen to be used should be established by the doctor on an individual basis for each patient, but taking care not to exceed the dose of 1, 200-1, 800 mg of active ingredient per day.
- Naproxen (Momendol ®, Synflex ®, Xenar ®): also naproxen is available in different pharmaceutical formulations. When administered orally, the usual dose is 500-1, 000 mg of drug per day, to be taken in divided doses every 12 hours. However, even in this case, the doctor will determine the exact amount of active ingredient that each patient will have to take.
Corticosteroids
Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are quite effective in reducing symptoms caused by Reiter's syndrome. However - due to their side effects - their use is reserved for those patients in whom treatment with NSAIDs has not given the desired results.
Among the various corticosteroids that can be used, we recall:
- Methylprednisolone (Urbason ®, Medrol ®, Solu-Medrol ®). When administered orally, the initial dose of medication to be taken should be determined by the doctor, depending on the patient's condition. Subsequently, the dose can be modified according to the patient's response to the therapy. Indicatively, the dose of methylprednisolone used varies from 4 mg to 48 mg a day.
- Prednisone (Deltacortene ®): the dose of prednisone usually administered orally is 10-15 mg a day. Also in this case, the exact dosage of medicine must be established by the doctor on an individual basis.
antirheumatic
Antirheumatics are used to treat arthritis caused by Reiter's syndrome. Among the various active ingredients used, we recall:
- Sulfasalazine (Salazopyrin ®): for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, the usual starting dose of sulfasalazine is 500 mg a day. Subsequently, the amount of drug administered will be gradually increased until the optimal maintenance dosage is reached.
- Methotrexate (Reumaflex ®): methotrexate is available for intramuscular, subcutaneous or intravenous administration. The drug should only be given by a doctor or a specialist at a dose of 50 mg a week. Treatment generally lasts 4-8 weeks.
Antibiotics
Antibiotic drugs are used to counteract the bacteria responsible for the infection that - in conjunction with the malfunctioning of the host's immune system - contributes to the development of Reiter's syndrome.
The choice of the type of antibiotic to use, of course, depends on the microorganism that caused the infection. Therefore, it is very important to identify exactly the infectious agent responsible for the aforementioned infection, so as to establish the most appropriate therapy to combat it.
