title: Protracted rheumatic manifestations in travelers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Travel returnees may complain of protracted rheumatic symptoms, but there are sparse data regarding their causes. We aimed to describe travelers returning with new rheumatic symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a retrospective analysis of Israeli travelers who were referred to the Sheba Medical Center from January 2005 to January 2010 with prolonged (>4 weeks) nontraumatic arthralgia or arthritis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During 5 years, 14 patients (7 men and 7 women) with posttravel arthritis/arthralgia were seen. A total of 5 patients were diagnosed with reactive arthritis, and 9 were diagnosed with rheumatic symptoms related to infection with Alphaviruses: Chikungunya virus or Ross River virus. Some disability remained for several months in most cases, but only 1 case of reactive arthritis eventually evolved to a chronic spondyloarthropathy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Travel-related arthritis may persist even several months after the exposure. Assessing patients' travel history may help in the evaluation of some cases with rheumatic manifestations. Their prognosis may be better than that of autoimmune arthritides.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Unit, Center for Autoimmune Diseases, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. Kivitys@gmail.com
authors.forename: Shaye
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kivity
authors.forename: Eyal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Meltzer
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bin
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000524:Alphavirus; D018354:Alphavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016918:Arthritis, Reactive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D065632:Chikungunya Fever; D002646:Chikungunya virus; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D012398:Ross River virus; D013997:Time Factors; D014195:Travel