[Human immunodeficiency virus associated arthritis in Congo Brazzaville].
OBJECTIVE
The authors report epidemiologic, clinical, para clinical, and evolutive aspects of arthritis related to HIV in an AIDS endemic country.


METHODS
A retrospective study was made in the rheumatology department of the Brazzaville University Teaching Hospital during 15 years and 6 months, on 3.042 in-patients among whom 306 (10%) were positive for HIV, 220 (7.2%) presented with a rheumatologic manifestation, and 158 (71.8%) with HIV related arthritis.


RESULTS
The 158 patients included 91 men (57.6%), 67 women (42.4%), average 34.5 years of age, ranging from 15 to 61, all heterosexual. 99 patients (62.7%) were in the B stage, 40 (25.3%) in the C stage, and 19 (12.2%) in the A stage. Arthritis was polyarthritis (83.5%) or oligoarthritis (16.5%), symmetrical (97.5%), prevailing on the lower limbs (99.3%) with involvement of the great toe in 23% of cases. There was an important inflammatory syndrome with an erythrocyte sedimentation rate exceeding 100 mm for the 1st hour in 63.3% of the cases. Rhumatoid factors were negative. Synovial fluid was sterile, without microcrystals, and inflammatory. X-rays were normal. This non-destructive arthritis, evolved by successive bouts, and resolved in 2 to 5 weeks with NSAIDs and did not meet Amor nor European spondyloarthropathy criteria.


CONCLUSIONS
Arthritis related to HIV represents the principal expression of nonseptic rheumatologic HIV manifestations in Congo.
Ntsiba
H
H
Services de rhumatologie, CHU de Brazzaville, BP 32, Congo. h.ntsiba@voila.fr
Ngandeu-Singwé
M
M
Makita-Bagamboula
C
C
Yala
F
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001168:Arthritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D003223:Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D020010:Heterosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies