title: Infectious involvements in males with Reiter's syndrome.
abstract: To obtain data on infectious involvements contributing to joint attacks in Reiter's syndrome (RS) 72 consecutive males with RS were investigated. Controls were 219 personally interviewed males. A history of some type of oro-naso-pharyngeal or pulmonary infectious involvements were reported as often in the patients as in the controls, but the frequency of persons with a history of joint manifestations followed by these infections was significantly higher in the patients (23/72) than in the controls (8/219) (p less than 0.0001). Gastrointestinal involvements occurred only in a minority of cases as a triggering infection. Histories of prostatitis, gonorrhoea, condylomata acuminata, haematuria and trichomonas vaginalis infections were significantly more common in patients than in controls (p less than 0.001 - p less than 0.025). This finding, as well as evidence of chlamydial infection in 61%, speaks in favour of the importance of sexually transmitted diseases as an etiologic agent. A case report of triggering infections during the course of RS is given and the possible role of these infections in the immunopathogenesis in RS is discussed.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001170:Arthritis, Infectious / Q000150:complications; D016918:Arthritis, Reactive / Q000150:complications*; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000150:complications; D003218:Condylomata Acuminata / Q000150:complications; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000150:complications; D005834:Genital Neoplasms, Male / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000150:complications; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000150:complications; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000150:complications; D014245:Trichomonas Infections / Q000150:complications; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000150:complications; D015009:Yersinia Infections / Q000150:complications