title: Prevalence of rheumatic disease in HIV infected Thai patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of rheumatic diseases in HIV-infected patients at Siriraj Hospital, Thailand.
  
  
  METHODS
  178 patients who attended the HIV-Clinic at Siriraj Hospital between November 2002 and February 2003 were examined for the presence of rheumatic diseases. Diagnosis of HIV infection was performed by ELISA and confirmed by partial agglutination testing. HIV-infected patients were classified according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 1993 revised classification system. Standard criteria were used to classify the rheumatic diseases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  98 patients had rheumatic diseases. Seventy-seven patients were treated with antiretroviral drugs. Forty-nine patients had mechanical low back pain, twenty-four patients had arthralgia, nineteen patients had plantar fasciitis, eighteen patients had nonspecific myalgia, thirteen patients had fibromyalgia, and eleven patients had others. Arthralgia was associated significantly with Quadricept muscle wasting (p = 0.00001). Nonspecific myalgia was more likely to be associated with female (p = 0. 018) and less likely with use of antiretroviral therapy (p = 0.031).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Rheumatic diseases were commonly found in HIV-infected patients. Arthralgia associated with wasting Quadricep muscle. Nonspecific myalgia was predominant in female and without antiretroviral drug treatment.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand.
authors.forename: Praveena
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chiowchanwisawakit
authors.forename: Achara
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koolvisoot
authors.forename: Winai
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ratanasuwan
authors.forename: Surapol
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suwanagool
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology