Causes
A number of reasons have been implicated as the causes of Reactive Arthritis -
A bout of gastrointestinal or genital infection generally precedes reactive arthritis. A past history of food poisoning is also believed to be a cause. Re -exposure to the offending organism is also likely to trigger the disease in some.
Infection with bacteriae Chlamydia trachomatis, Salmonella spp, Campylobacter spp, Yersinia spp, have been commonly implicated.
The mechanism involving the trigering of the disease is unknown. In 344 cases occurring in Finland after an epidemic of Flexner’s dysentery, two thirds of the cases of Reactive Arthritis was a continuation of the dysentery. Reactive Arthritis is considered to be an autoimmune disorder initiated by the infecting organism.
A genetic predisposition to the autoimmune phenomenon is also a possibility.
