Abstract
In October, 1979, a 27 year-old male first had joint problems. Next month the skin lesions with itching were noted in the whole body. Steroid therapy (prednisolone 30 mg per day) provided minimal relief of the arthralgias. In January 1980, photophobia was complained with an obvious purulent discharge. He addmitted to our hospital in Febuary, 1980, because of slight fever, arthralgias of the extremities, keratodermia blennorrhagicum and circinate balanitis. He was treated with daily administration of phenylbutazone (200 mg) and azathioprine (100 mg) . Although conjunctivitis was disappeared and skin lesions have been improved, arthralgias have been still complained. Rentogenogram of the lumbosacral spine revealed the destructive change of the left sacroiliac joint unilaterally. HLA typing of lymphocytes showed HLA-B 27 in this patient. His synovial fluid revealed high levels of IgG, IgA and C 3. Large macropharges which had phagocytosed one or more polymorphonuclear leucocytes (Pekin's or Reiter's cell) were found in his synovial fluid. Those large macrophages and high levels of immunoglobulins and C 3 were also recognized frequently in Behcet's disease, therefore there may be a resemble inflammatory mechanism between Reiter's disease and Behçet's disease.
