The term reactive arthritis was first introduced in 1969 as to describe a sequel to an old infection, usually being genitourinary or GI infection. This condition has a diverse clinical manifestations. Initially it was know as Reiter's disease or Fiessinger Leroy disease. It is a member of spondyloarthritis family. HLA-B27 is a known predisposing genetic factor and is triggered by systemic infection. CREG-B7 group of antigens are found in B27 negative patients and these antigens are cross reactive to B27. Long term follow up is needed in children to determine if more number of children develop recurrent arthritis or any other disease like psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis etc. cytokines like TNF alpha and interferon secrete T helper cells which help in eliminating the bacteria. NSAIDs, corticosteroids and antibiotics play a role in mainstay treatment. Reactive arthritis is characterized by both articular and extraarticular symptoms. Extra-articular manifestations include genitourinary symptoms, ocular symptoms, skin manifestations and cardiac manifestations. The diagnosis of this conditions is mostly clinical. Eliminating the infectious agent is the mainstay of the treatment followed by NSAIDs, corticosteroids and DMARDs in severe cases not responding to primary treatment is important.

Keywords: Reactive arthritis; Spondyloarthritis; NSAID; Children.