Treatment of reactive arthritis with infliximab

Abstract

We describe two patients with acute reactive arthritis (ReA) caused by Yersinia enterocolitica who were treated with infliximab with a good response in the acute phase. In a patient with prior ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and subsequent ReA the peripheral joint disease responded well to three infliximab infusions, but later he needed retreatment with infliximab to control the spinal symptoms of AS. The other previously healthy patient with acute ReA also responded well to one infliximab infusion although he did not fully recover and needed further treatment with disease modifying antirheumatic drugs. The influence of new drugs on the short and long term prognosis of the patients with ReA remains to be evaluated.