Clinical presentation of reitet's syndrome among Iraqi patients

ABSTRACT

To shed some light on the clinical features of patients'with Reiter's syndrome. Reiter's syndrome in 50 patients [38 males and 12 females] was reported in a prospective study. All patients were subjected to detailed history, full clinical assessment and a slit lamp eye examination by an Ophthalmologist. A. Dermatologist opinion was sought when needed and thorough laboratory and radiological investigations were made for all patients. Reiter's syndrome was post-dysnteric in 44 [88%] of patients and post-venereal in 6 [12%] patients. Its clinical features are similar to other series. Arthritis was noted in all patients, diarrhea in 44 [88%], eye lesions in 40 [80%] and mucocutaneous lesions in 37 [74%] patients but significant differences were noted between our study and others with respect to sex ratio, lower back pain, urethritis, oral ulcer, circulate balanitis. Tissue typing for HLA-B27 was positive in 72% of our patients. Reiter's syndrome is not rare in Iraq as previously thought Physicians need to be more aware of its existence in young adult men who develop arthritis following dysentery