Reiter's syndrome. Treatment with methotrexate.

Abstract

REITER'S SYNDROME or the oculourethral synovial syndrome is usually characterized by the presence of arthritis, conjunctivitis, and urethritis. Other fairly common manifestations include diarrhea and the presence of skin lesions. Myocarditis, pericarditis, and neuritis have been less frequently reported. 1-4 The disease occurs most commonly in young white men and follows a variable course marked by spontaneous remissions and exacerbations. In some patients the disease process may be mild, clearing completely within three or four months. Other patients, however, may be acutely and severely ill. Permanent joint damage may occur and the disease may run a protracted course. The etiology of this disease has not been well defined. Although Neisseria gonorrhoeae , the pleuropneumonia-like organisms, and other microorganisms have been implicated in the etiology, close search has failed to establish any organism as the cause of this disease. Grimble 5 was able, in patients with Reiter's syndrome and rheumatoid spondylitis, to