These attacks are treated with anti-inflammatory drugs, and further attacks are prevented by lowering the levels of uric acid in the blood by special diets and drugs. This diagnosis is suspected if the patient has psoriasis, but sometimes the arthritis can preceed the rash. It can mimic many other kinds of arthritis. Reactive arthritis Sometimes arthritis starts after an infection such as gastroenteritis or a sexually transmitted disease. It usually involves only one or two large joints such as knees or ankles, and may also involve the lower back.
Some viral infections can result in a transient arthritis.
There may also be a skin rash and the arthritis usually gets better by itself, though this may take several months. Rarely these can turn into a chronic arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis. This type of arthritis involves the spine, usually the lower back, causing extreme back stiffness and inflexibility. It may be associated with arthritis of other joints, usually large joints such as knees and ankles. It includes a condition called ankylosing spondylitis which tends to run in families.