Persistent Knee Swelling

Okay. Sorry for the personal questions, but there's a good reason for asking. Knee swelling may be due to gonorrhea (especially if it began after unprotected sex) or Lyme disease (especially if you live in an area where Lyme disease is common, had a tick bite or if you had a typical rash before the knee swelling began).

Past infections (especially those causing prolonged or severe diarrhea or sexually transmitted diseases) can trigger knee arthritis weeks or months later. It's called "reactive arthritis" because the joint swelling is thought to occur as a reaction to the infection (rather than due to direct infection of the joint).

After reading this information, if you think you may have knee swelling due to gonorrhea or Lyme disease, contact your doctor right away, because prompt diagnosis and treatment are important in these conditions!

Okay, just one more set of questions, again to determine whether your knee pain might be due to a form of arthritis associated with other symptoms.

Are any of the following true about you or your knee swelling?

• I have had psoriasis (a chronic, scaly skin rash) in the past.

• I have a previous history of colitis (such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis).

• I have pain and swelling in other joints, including the other knee and the hands and wrists.

Yes, one or more of those is true for me.

No, none of those is true for me.