title: Rheumatic manifestations in 556 patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection.
abstract: We studied in retrospect the rheumatic manifestations of 556 patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Eighty percent were men. Eighty-six percent were intravenous drug abusers (IVDAs), 9% homosexual, 3% partners of high-risk persons having the infection, 0.4% hemophiliacs, and 2% had no known risk factors. We found rheumatic disorders in 63 (11%) patients. The most frequent findings were myalgias and/or arthralgias (4.5%; one patient had an inflammatory myopathy), skeletal infections (3.6%), and arthralgias (1.6%). Reiter's syndrome and seronegative arthritis were present only in 0.5%, and HIV-associated arthritis and vasculitis in 0.4%, respectively. Skeletal infections were caused predominantly by Staphylococcus aureus (60%) and Candida albicans (20%). All these patients were IV drug abusers whose clinical features were similar to those previously described in skeletal infections of non-HIV-infected IVDAs. Comparing these data with other studies composed primarily of homosexual men where Reiter's syndrome is the predominant rheumatic disorder, we conclude that the type of rheumatic complaint is more related to the risk factors than to HIV itself.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatologic Unit, Hospital La Paz, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muñoz Fernández
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cardenal
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Balsa
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Quiralte
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: del Arco
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Peña
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Barbado
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Vázquez
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gijón
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001168:Arthritis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D001847:Bone Diseases / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000150:complications; D010146:Pain; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D012698:Serologic Tests; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000150:complications