Reiter's syndrome is a rheumatic disease. It affects the joints, mucous membranes of the eyes, as well as the urogenital tract. Accordingly, a person develops prostatitis, conjunctivitis, urethritis and some other diseases. They can appear sequentially or at the same time.
A similar disease occurs due to problems with the immune system provoked by an intestinal or genitourinary pathogen. During the diagnosis, it is necessary to check the changes in the blood, as well as to establish a connection with the previous infection. In treatment, it is best to use antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. Such a disease can often recur, and it can also become chronic.
Description of the disease
Reiter's syndrome in 80% of cases affects men from 20 to 40 years old. Women suffer from this disease much less often, children are practically not affected. The causative agent is chlamydia. This microorganism can parasitize in the host for quite some time. The described disease develops sometimes after colitis. Some other infections also provoke it. In the presence of a genetic addiction, this pathology may occur in some patients.
The disease in its course is divided into several stages. We are talking about infectious and immunopathological. The first is characterized by the fact that the pathogen is in the genitourinary tract. The second stage indicates that the person began to have lesions of the conjunctiva and joints.
Pathology classification
At the moment, two forms of Reiter's syndrome are shared. It is sporadic and epidemic. The first develops after a person has been diagnosed with a genitourinary infection. The epidemic can occur for various reasons, as a rule, they have salmonella, dysentery, and so on.
The course of the disease can be acute, that is, it lasts no more than six months, prolonged, lasting up to a year, as well as chronic. The latter is a disease that recurs for more than one year.
Genitourinary Symptoms
When diagnosing Reiter's syndrome, it is very important to notice problems from the genitourinary system. They are the first signals. Cystitis, urethritis, prostatitis and so on develop. In men, pain appears in the lower abdomen, frequent urination, pain, burning or itching during the emptying of the bladder. In women, unpleasant vaginal discharge, pain during urination, as well as discomfort in the lower abdomen are observed. Leukocytosis can be detected in smears and urine.
As you can see, both women and men have similar symptoms of this disease. If one of the manifestations occurs, you should immediately consult a doctor in order to cure the disease in time.
Symptoms associated with vision
Already some time after the appearance of problems with the genitourinary tract, a person's eyes become inflamed. It is also one of the symptoms of Reiter's syndrome. Over time, this leads to the development of conjunctivitis, can also cause neuritis, keratitis and so on. Lacrimation can increase, vision is impaired, redness, photophobia appear, and pus and pain may also be present. Sometimes it happens that manifestations from the side of vision are observed only a few days, and then become dulled.
Joint Symptoms
One of the main symptoms of Reiter's syndrome is a joint problem. It occurs one and a half to two months after the initial manifestations. At first, only one or two joints become inflamed, but after a while polyarthritis develops. Most often, the joints of the legs are considered problematic, inflammation spreads from the bottom up. That is, the ankle joint is affected first, then the knee, and so on. Pain may occur, asymmetry of inflammation, discoloration of the skin, as well as swelling in the area of inflammation. Sometimes the spinal column may be affected. Therefore, a person has unpleasant sensations in the morning.
If we are talking about damage to the joints of the foot, then flat feet develops. According to statistics, in half of patients, such manifestations completely disappear with proper treatment, 30% recur, and 20% develop chronic arthritis.
Other manifestations
An unusual course of Reiter's syndrome is sometimes observed. This suggests that other organs may be affected. Red spots appear on the skin that may resemble tubercles. As a rule, such manifestations concern the palms and soles. Over time, peeling and keratinization of the skin may occur. In some patients, the mucous membranes of the mouth and genitals are affected. Note that arthritis is the main symptom, so inflammation can occur in the tendons and ligaments. Accordingly, a person will experience unpleasant sensations, redness and swelling. In very rare cases, the syndrome can lead to problems with the kidneys, lungs, and heart.
Diagnostic Methods
Before starting treatment for Reiter's syndrome, it is necessary to conduct a diagnosis to understand which therapy needs to be prescribed. First of all, the doctor draws attention to the patient's complaints, especially if he has recently suffered a genitourinary or intestinal infection.
In order to confirm the diagnosis from a medical point of view, it is necessary to make laboratory tests. Blood should be donated in order to detect the presence of chlamydia, the same pathogen can be in the mucous membrane of the eye, in the urethra or vagina, joint fluid. Next, you need to do blood biochemistry in order to be checked for rheumatoid factor. If we are talking about the destruction of joints, then x-rays, MRI and CT are prescribed.
Therapy
Having found out the causes of Reiter's syndrome, it is necessary to start treatment. Therapy in total can last from 3 to 12 months. It aims to stop inflammation, reduce autoimmune reactions and eliminate the infection.
If we are talking about the development of chlamydia, the doctor prescribes antibiotics in maximum doses. In order to avoid re-infection, it is recommended to prescribe this drug and the sexual partner. Antibiotics should be drunk for a long time, the minimum period is 3 weeks, the maximum is 8 weeks. This can lead to the development of candidiasis or digestive problems. In order not to disturb such effects, it is necessary to drink special multivitamin complexes, hepatoprotectors and antimycotic drugs. Thanks to them, the effect on the body from antibiotics will be reduced to a minimum. It is also desirable to take proteolytic enzymes in order to increase the effectiveness of therapy.
If a person has severe inflammation of the eyes, it is necessary to drink antibacterial agents, as well as use drops or ointments. The latter should be based on tetracycline. You can use folk remedies in the form of tinctures from medicinal herbs. In order to relieve eye inflammation, chamomile and calendula should be used.
To eliminate joint problems, in order to cure arthritis, it is necessary to use anti-inflammatory drugs. Either glucocorticoids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. Both groups of drugs can reduce pain, in the presence of temperature - to bring down it, as well as relieve swelling. Many patients write positive reviews about this therapy.
Reiter's syndrome can also manifest as fever or intoxication. In this case, the patient is prescribed special means that can not only alleviate the patient's condition, but also increase the effectiveness of other drugs used. After relief of the inflammatory process, some patients are prescribed physiotherapy in the form of physiotherapy exercises, electrophoresis, magnetotherapy.
Immune System Therapy
The syndrome also means taking medications during therapy that affect the response of the immune system. As a rule, its processes lead to the fact that connective tissue is completely destroyed. These medicines are used for a long time. The minimum term is 4 months. If we are talking about a serious form of the disease, then the patient will most likely have to drink drugs all his life. Such drugs can lead to a passive state of the immune system, it becomes weak, respectively, the human body can easily succumb to infection. That is why you need to drink immunomodulators in parallel. In order to increase the protective function, ultraviolet irradiation of blood can be used.
Additional methods
Since insolation triggers the development of Reiter's syndrome, multiple complications can occur. In the absence of proper and adequate treatment, this disease will subsequently require more severe therapy than described above. In the later stages of the syndrome, the development of HIV infection can be observed, therefore, it is necessary to take tests for its presence. After a negative result, cytostatics are prescribed.
Some patients are advised to take a course of hormones. Sometimes, against the background of this disease, depression can develop, which leads to fear. Often at this stage, patients do not believe what the doctor tells them, so it is best to prescribe antidepressants that will allow the person to return to normal.
The first 3 months of illness, any patient should spend under the supervision of doctors. Tests should be taken every two weeks to check the effectiveness of the treatment. Once a month, you will have to take tests after the end of treatment. If, however, six months (or earlier) after stopping the disease, prostatitis develops, as well as stiffness in the area of the joints, then you will have to re-hospitalize, as this is considered a relapse.
Alternative treatment
When treating Reiter's syndrome, recommendations are extremely important. After a preliminary consultation with a doctor, you can use traditional medicine. Consider the most popular and effective methods:
- To remove the inflammatory process, a decoction of aspen will help. Her bark has a good effect. It is necessary to pour a little bark (1 tbsp. L.) With a glass of water, cook in a water bath for about a quarter of an hour. The broth should be infused for at least 45 minutes. It can be mixed with tea, it is allowed to drink in its pure form. However, you can not use more than 3 times a day.
- A similar anti-inflammatory effect can give a decoction of oat straw. It is necessary to take 200 g of raw materials, add water and cook in a pan for half an hour. It should be borne in mind that the fluid should be enough for a comfortable bath (about 5 liters). After the broth has cooled, it is necessary to immerse the legs or hands in water, depending on which joints were affected.
- You can use decoctions of dandelions and primrose. They should be taken orally. In order to cook, you need to use a tablespoon of dry grass, filled with boiling water (200 ml). You can drink in an hour, as the broth is infused. The serving should be divided into four times and taken throughout the day.
Forecast
In order to diagnose Reiter's syndrome in time, tests must be taken regularly. As a rule, if therapy is started on time, the prognosis will be favorable. Most often, in patients the disease becomes stable remission, but this does not exclude the possibility of relapse. In less than half of patients, this disease becomes chronic, which may result in flat feet, muscle atrophy, and so on. For prophylaxis, it is necessary to prevent intestinal and urogenital infections, and also to timely treat the diseases that have arisen.
Preventative measures
As mentioned above, it is imperative to monitor the condition of your body. However, this is not all. There are no specific preventive measures, so it is necessary to detect sexually transmitted diseases in time and cure them. So you can avoid complications.
If it is a chronic form, then relapse should be prevented. That is why it is necessary to regularly undergo treatment in sanatoriums, where various mud treatment procedures are carried out. All patients who have already been diagnosed with Reiter's syndrome, must be registered at the dispensary and periodically take tests. During the exacerbation, you need to follow a diet, that is, do not eat fatty foods, as well as those dishes that irritate the pancreas.