Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group viral arthritis?

Hey!
Has anybody heard of viral arthritis? My friend has been in constant pain in all (big & small)joints of her body. It has been over five months. It started with her hand and within a month it was everywhere. They (dr.'s)really haven't said anything conclusive but are suspecting that it is viral. She id go to the rhuemy 3months ago and he said come back in three months so she went again this week, and again he said come back in three months...very frustrating. She has had to quit work because of this. just curious if anybody had any knowledge of viral arth or heard of anything like this.
gambit

Reiter's syndrome

The only thing I can think of is Reiter's syndrome but that is bacterial and not viral

Hi, gambit:

Viral arthritides are somewhat more common than normally recognized.

We have members with AS who began their disease with Ross River virus and even the hepatitis B vaccination, but these--like mumps, measles, parvovirus--and many others can produce widespread arthritic symptoms on their own--that will not turn into AS in a non-susceptible individual, and probably will not be permanent.

Best to your friend, and to You, also,
John

When I was first going through the dx process, my boyfriend and I were down at the laundromat. There was this old medical book laying there (from the 1930's or so) that he was flipping through. He came across arthritis caused by (I want to say) gonorhea. He asked, Are you sure you don't have this? (Joking, of course).
So, all I know is that it's possible. I agree with dragonslayer that is probably underdiagnosed as a cause. I was, however, unaware that a virus might trigger AS in a susceptible person. I will have to do some further reading on this.

yes something like Ross River Virus is a viral arthritis. This usually clears after a while. Some people go into remission and the arthritis never returns. However, there are others who have further bouts of arthritis.

Viral arthritis is not the same as Reiter's Disease. That is caused by a number of other diseases including Chlamydia and gonarreah (sp is a bit off). These are only two of the possible diseases that can bring on what is known as either Reiter's Syndrome or Reactive Arthritis.

It is more likely that the person has something like Ross River Fever (or the equivalent elsewhere) or Lyme Disease.

What is interesting from the above comments is the inclusion of something like measles. I am not certain whether this is a possible trigger, but if that is the case then that could explain why I have AS even though I am HLAB27 negative. I had measles at age 6, German Measles and Chicken Pox at age 2.

here are some links on viral arthrtitis:

1,)
http://www.emedicine.com/MED/topic3414.htm
eMedicine - Viral Arthritis : Article by Rabea Khouqeer, MD, FRCP(C)

2.)
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/311/7019/1549
pubmed link here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=8520401
Cohen B.
Parvovirus B19: an expanding spectrum of disease.
BMJ. 1995 Dec 9;311(7019):1549-52. Review. No abstract available.
PMID: 8520401

"...B19 infection is a benign, self limiting illness in children, but in adults, especially women, it is often complicated by acute arthritis (fig 3). Indeed, arthritis without a rash is a common presentation of B19 infection in adults. In a study of acute arthropathy in adults, 19 of 24 cases attributed to infectious agents were associated with parvovirus B19.14 The study by Jobanputra et al in this issue (p 1542) found that 6.7% ( 20/297) of serum samples submitted by general practitioners for rheumatoid factor tests were B19 positive on polymerase chain reaction.15 Most of them were also B19 IgM positive, indicating recent acute infection. This serves to remind us that, although B19 is a common cause of acute arthropathy, it is not often recognised.

B19 arthropathy usually resolves in a few weeks, but 10% of women with B19 infection develop joint symptoms lasting more than two months. In some cases the symptoms persist for years. We do not yet understand the pathogenesis of this chronic arthritis as histologically the joint shows no inflammatory response14 16 and evidence that B19 virus persists in the synovium17 has not been confirmed.18 None the less, B19 infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of early onset rheumatoid arthritis as some patients with B19 arthropathy fulfil the diagnostic criteria for this disease.14..."

link to figure 3 from this text, diagram which shows pattern of affected joints:
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/content/vol311/issue7019/images/small/701908.gif

3.)
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/507250_2
this is a medscape link, you would need to register with medscape to see text. I believe that the free registration should get you the full text, but I'm not sure

Gambit,
Yes, I keep hearing things like that every where I go. I have always hurt from head to toe, since I was in junior high. having had all the major diseases, but not being sexually active at 12, there has got ot be a trigger somewhere.
Nice to meet you.