Re: New to Reactive Arthritis

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/25/2004 9:40:57 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

stcy_noneya@... writes:

I

have been married for 13 years, no affairs on my part, 3 children,

never have had any STD's. Is an STD what caused this???

Dear Stcy, I don't think you have to worry about your husband giving you the

trigger. From some of the literature, men are 9 times more likely to get

Reiter's Syndrome from Chlamydia than women. There are many different types of

infections that can cause RS. It might be wise to share with your husband some

information from the internet...as to the causes for RS, just so you both are

aware that all is okay between the both of you. Many women don't know why they

get RS...food poisoning is the most common amonst women and 1/4 of RS patients

never know what the trigger was. Here is a snipit from the following web site:

<<Reactive arthritis typically begins about 1 to 3 weeks after infection. The

bacterium most often associated with reactive arthritis is Chlamydia

trachomatis, commonly known as chlamydia (pronounced kla-MID-e-a). It is usually

acquired through sexual contact. Some evidence also shows that respiratory

infections with Chlamydia pneumoniae may trigger reactive arthritis.

Infections in the digestive tract that may trigger reactive arthritis include

Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, and Campylobacter. People may become infected

with these bacteria after eating or handling improperly prepared food, such

as meats that are not stored at the proper temperature.

Doctors do not know exactly why some people exposed to these bacteria develop

reactive arthritis and others do not, but they have identified a genetic

factor, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) B27, that increases a person's chance of

developing reactive arthritis. Approximately 80 percent of people with reactive

arthritis test positive for HLA-B27. However, inheriting the HLA-B27 gene does

not necessarily mean you will get reactive arthritis. Eight percent of healthy

people have the HLA-B27 gene, and only about one-fifth of them will develop

reactive arthritis if they contract the triggering infections. >>

Hope this helps. Best regards, Connie (granny)

http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/reactive/reactive.htm#rea_b

[Guest guest]

for an std to be the method of transmission for you, you would of necessity had

to get the std. If you've not had one, then it's not the cause. Don't blame

your hubby for something unless you're sure. Sorry your doc didn't tell you

more, but I understand how you feel. For myself, the list of good doctors are

on one hand and the others have come close to killing me Search the archives

here for further info. Welcome, by the way;o)

Susie

[Guest guest]

I've had reactive arthritis since I was 10 years old, and it definitely was

not caused by an STD. I had a severe ear infection in the months preceding

the start of symptoms which may have been the trigger. There's no way to

know what the trigger was. The main cause is the HLA-B27 genetic marker

that I have. Looking back, I think that my Dad and my grandmother had

symptoms of reactive arthritis as well, although they were never diagnosed.

It does seem that reactive arthritis is more clearly associated with an

infection for men than it is for women. Many of us didn't have an infection

prior to developing the disease. It's a mixture of genetics and environment

and they are still researching what the environmental causes may be.

So, if you have no other reason to think your husband had affairs, and you

haven't been diagnosed with an STD, I wouldn't worry about that, it's very

unlikely.

God Bless,

Janet in San Francisco

Reactive Arthritis since 1973; diagnosed 1997; HLA-B27 genetic marker

positive

[Guest guest]

You might visit http://www.conqueringarthritis.com , the author there

got it from food poisoning. That is another common way it is triggered.

In her experience it was perpetuated by food intolerances and

allergies.

The two common types of bacteria that often trigger it are STDs like

chlamydia or intestinal bacteria like shigella.. the latter which can

also be sexually transmitted depending on what your habits of

lovemaking might be.

mike

-----------

Mike Rock

http://www.mike-rock.com

[Guest guest]

My younger sister and I both came down with our respective

spondyloarthropathic conditions after a case of food poisioning from

corn. If you get food poisioning from a certain type of bacteria and

are HLA-B27 positive, it can set off these conditions.

~