Reactive arthritis is a disorder that primarily affects the cartilage in the knees, feet, heels, hips, and ankles but can affect other joints as well. It typically appears following an illness, particularly one that was transferred through sexual contact or food poisoning. Most of the time, it goes away within a couple of months and presents no long-term issues. Rare cases of reactive arthritis exist.  It can affect both men and women of any age, however, it tends to affect more men and people between the ages of 20 and 40.

 

Introduction:

 

You can have fatigue and very painful, swollen joints as a result of reactive arthritis. After you’ve had an infection elsewhere in your body, such as a stomach bug, diarrhea, or throat infection, it may impact your joints. The cartilage in the knees along with ankles are the joints that are most frequently impacted. Reiter syndrome is another name for it, and it can affect anyone, even young children. Reactive arthritis, in contrast to other forms of inflammatory arthritis, typically lasts three months to a year for most people.

Though some people find it to continue longer and experience sporadic flare-ups years after originally developing it. Reactive arthritis symptoms such as pain, swelling, and acute fatigue appear after the original infection.  It’s possible that the virus itself was so minor you hardly noticed it. Reactive is brought on by infections, although the exact reason is unknown. According to one theory, after your body’s defense system finishes dealing with the illness, bacteria pieces move through the circulatory system and gather in the joint lining. In response, your immune system causes joint inflammation.

Reactive arthritis patients typically have both good and bad days. Typically, it goes away within a period of six months without causing any long-term issues. A small percentage of people do, however, go on to acquire another kind of arthritis that requires ongoing care.

 

Causes:

 

Although some illnesses that cause reactive arthritis are communicable, reactive arthritis itself is not contagious. Sexual contact is the primary method of transmission for the bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis, which infections most frequently result in the disease. It may result in infections of the vagina, penis, urethra, bladder, or bladder. Salmonella and other infections that affect the gut can result in reactive. Eating certain foods or touching certain objects that contain the bacteria can cause an infection. There may be a genetic component to arthritis. The HLA-B27 gene is frequently present in people with arthritis. However, many people who carry this gene do not experience arthritis. The following are reactive arthritis’s most typical causes:

• Stomach discomfort
• Diarrhea and other gastrointestinal illnesses
• A throat infection, typically brought on by the streptococcus (strep-toe-cok-us) bacteria.
• The “slapped cheek” condition
• Fever due to glands.
• Reactive arthritis is also caused by an infection, which might be so minor that you may not notice you’re sick until you start to feel pain in your joints.

 

Symptoms:

 

Reactive arthritis’s symptoms and indications typically appear anywhere from one to four weeks after contracting the infection that causes them. They could consist of:

• Stiffness and pain. The joints most commonly affected by reactive arthritis-related pain in the joints are the knees, ankles, and feet. In addition to the buttocks and lower back, the heels might be uncomfortable.
• Inflamed eyes. Reactive arthritic patients frequently get conjunctivitis, an inflammation of the eyes.
• Urinary issues. Urination may become more frequent and uncomfortable, and there may be cervicovaginal or prostate gland inflammation.
• Swollen fingers or toes. In some situations, toes or fingers may swell to the point that they resemble sausages.
• Skin conditions. Mouth sores, a rash on the outer surfaces of the feet, and sores on the palms of both hands are just a few of the skin-related symptoms of reactive arthritis.
• A sore back. In general, the discomfort is more severe at night as well as in the morning.

 

Diagnosis:

 

If you have reactive arthritis symptoms, you should visit your doctor, especially if you recently developed infection-related symptoms like diarrhea or pain when urinating. There isn’t a specific test indicating reactive arthritis, but infections can be ruled out and other causes of the signs can be excluded using blood and urine tests, vaginal swabs, ultrasound scans, and X-rays. Your doctor will evaluate the following factors before diagnosing you:

• You recently experienced an infection that may be connected to sudden discomfort and stiffness in your joints, particularly in the joints of your knees or ankles.
• In addition to joint inflammation, you may also have other obvious symptoms, such as a rash covering the palms of both hands or the soles of your feet or red, swollen eyes.

 

Homeopathic Treatment for Reactive Arthritis:

 

Homeopathic treatment revolves around symptoms resemblance and case individualization based on peculiar indications that are used to choose the appropriate drug. Homoeopathy holds that even though the majority of the genome of a person is the same, the small differences in genes and the epigenome, as well as the immune responses of each individual, affect a person’s various characteristics and should be treated accordingly. Homeopathic medications often used for reactive arthritis are:

• Phosphorus
• Arsenicum Album
• Rhus Toxicodendron
• Bryonia Alba
• Ledum Palusture
• Thuja Occidentalis
• Antimonium Crudum
• Argentum Nitricum
• Borax
• Mercurious Solubilis
• Pulsatilla Nigrican

 

Precautions for Reactive Arthritis:

 

Reactive arthritis following an infection cannot be completely avoided. According to research, several hereditary variables do raise the likelihood of contracting this condition. Even though you have no control over your genes, there are steps you can do to safeguard yourself against this excruciating inflammatory condition.

• Correctly wash your hands. Wash your hands thoroughly before handling any raw meats, after using the restroom, after cleaning up after your pet, and before changing diapers.
• Sex should be safe. Chlamydia is the most typical cause of reactive arthritis.
• Consume food that has been properly cooked. Consuming raw or undercooked meat, poultry, shellfish, cheese, eggs, milk, pork, or other animal products can spread one of the bacteria that cause reactive arthritis.
• Biking
• Stretching
• Swimming