A Brief History of Stoll-Brodie-Fiessinger-Leroy Syndrome (Reiters Syndrome) and Reactive Arthritis with a Translation of Reiters Original 1916 Article into English

Abstract

While not the only form of reactive arthrits, Reiter's syndrome is the eponym given to a form of reactive arthritis associated with with the classice triad of conjuntivitis, urethritis, and inflammatory arthritis. Although in popular use, the term Reiter's syndrome has become clouded, not only because of the variable pathophysiology of reactive arthritis, but also because of Reiter's own past as an early member of the Nazi party and his prominent role in the German health system during the Thrid Reich, including involvement with involuntary medical procedures and experiments in Nazi concentration camps. As is often the case, the eponym attached to the syndrome does not honor the original describers of the disease, although doubtless Reiter's account remains the classic description. We offer a brief historical review of the disease, and complete it with a translation into English of Reiter's original publication.

Reiter's syndrome: The classic triad and more

“…1 Although the disease is named after Hans Reiter, who published a case in 1916, 2 Reiter's symptoms were actually mentioned as early as the 1500s in Mexican texts. 3 Stoll 4 published a case in 1869, and Brodie 5 followed in 1818 with patients who developed Reiter's symptoms after venereal infections.…”

The incidence of sexually acquired reactive arthritis: a systematic literature review

“…The association of arthritis with STIs has been long recognised. Hippocrates was probably the first to link the presence of arthritis and infection in the genitourinary tract when he observed, at a time when the term “gout” was used to refer to acute arthritis, that “A youth does not suffer from gout until after sexual intercourse” [11, 12]. The first report of joint involvement after venereal disease was in 1715 by Musgrave, and the first clear description given by Swediaur in 1798 and 1809 [13], though the term “reactive arthritis”, referring to nonpurulent arthritis associated with infection, wasn’t introduced until 1969 [14, 15].…”

Leaky gut, circulating immune complexes, arthralgia, and arthritis in IBD: coincidence or inevitability?

“…In its early conception, ReA was characterized as non-purulent, developing subsequently into a gastrointestinal infection without direct bacterial infiltration into the joints ( 82 ). Kekomäki et al.…”