My name is Barbara Allan. In 1988, at the age of 25 I suddenly developed arthritis. This was 6 weeks after contracting Shigella food poisoning while camping during a vacation in Michigan.
The type of arthritis I was diagnosed with is reactive arthritis, since it was in reaction to a Shigella infection. (Shigella is a bacteria, similar to Salmonella, that cause bacterial dysentery, which is what I had.) Many types of bacteria can trigger reactive arthritis. They include Yersinia, Chlamydia, Salmonella, and Shigella.
Reactive arthritis is also known as Reiter’s Syndrome. There is an unfortunate stigma attached to the name Reiter’s Syndrome because that name is strongly associated with arthritis caused by bacterial infections in the genital area, in other words, venereal diseases. I say unfortunate stigma because it can interfere with being treated with proper respect by the medical community. Continue reading “What is Reactive Arthritis (Reiter’s Syndrome)?”