A case of Reiter′s disease exacerbated by lithium

Abstract

Reiter's disease is characterized by the triad of peripheral arthritis, urethritis, and conjunctivitis. A 38-year-old male, who was on treatment with lithium for mania, presented to us with all features of this triad. He was previously diagnosed and treated as seronegative arthritis. However, his symptoms persisted despite therapy. His skin lesions regressed only once lithium was stopped. Lithium is known to exacerbate or precipitate a multitude of dermatological conditions. However, there is no previous reported association of lithium exacerbating preexisting Reiter's disease. We report this case as it is the first known association of its kind.