Reactive arthritis: current treatment challenges and future perspectives

Reactive arthritis is a group of inflammatory joint diseases triggered by a previous infection, often associated with extra-articular features. The clinical course and consequently the treatment are complicated by the variability of the disease evolution in the single patient. In some patients, the disease assumes a chronic and destructive course, requiring the introduction of therapy. However, the role of antibiotic treatment of the triggering infection as well as the role of the currently available disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs is still unclear. The better understanding of the infectious agents-host interaction in reactive arthritis pathogenesis opens up to the possibility of new therapeutic strategies for the disease management. The purpose of this review is to illustrate the recent discoveries regarding the induction of joint inflammation by the infectious agents, the prognostic factors to better identify patients at risk of chronicity, the current available therapeutic strategies and lastly, the future possibilities of therapeutic approaches to reactive arthritis.