Human parvovirus B19 infection is not followed by inflammatory joint disease during long term follow-up. A retrospective study of 54 patients.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether recent human parvovirus B19 (B19) infection provokes inflammatory arthritis, we assessed the outcome of 54 patients with recent B19 infection who were referred to the Department of Rheumatology.


METHODS
Consecutive patients referred between 1985 and 1995 and found to have a recent B19 infection were studied retrospectively by sending a questionnaire and, if necessary, by physical examination.


RESULTS
In the acute phase of B19 infection, all patients had arthralgia and many also complained of myalgia and malaise. Arthritis was found in 61% of the patients, skin rash in 72% and fever in 64%. Except for the arthralgia and malaise, most of the symptoms resolved rapidly. After a mean followup of 5 years (SD 2.9 yrs.) none of the patients reported persistence of joint swelling or restricted motion.


CONCLUSIONS
None of the 54 patients with recent B19 infection developed chronic arthritis.
Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands.
I
I
Speyer
F C
FC
Breedveld
B A
BA
Dijkmans
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D001170:Arthritis, Infectious / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D016731:Erythema Infectiosum / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D016732:Parvovirus B19, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D000914:Antibodies, Viral