Where does viral arthritis develop?
Most viral infections in the body cause a limited illness. Then the
body's immune system destroys the virus, and the symptoms of the
illness go away.
In viral arthritis, the immune system's response to the virus causes
inflammation in the joints. Even after the virus is eliminated from the
body, the changes in the joint can continue to cause pain and swelling.
The joint may even become permanently damaged.
Which viruses cause viral arthritis?
Several viruses are known to cause problems with joint inflammation and pain. Some of the most common are listed below.
Parvovirus B-19
Parvovirus B-19 is a common virus. About 60 percent of adults
have been infected with it at some point in their lives. Parvovirus
B-19 causes the illness called fifth disease, which causes a
rash on the face and body. People usually get fifth disease as
children. About 15 percent of children with fifth disease have some
kind of joint pain, which usually goes away quickly. Almost 80 percent
of adults who get fifth disease report sore joints within three weeks
of the infection. Any joint can be involved, but usually it affects the
foot, hand, knee, wrist, and ankle joints on both sides of the body.
Most of the time the joint pain clears up in about two weeks, but it
has been known to come and go for as long as ten years.
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B infection, which causes severe inflammation of
the liver, can cause a severe and sudden form of arthritis that affects
many joints on both sides of the body. The hands and knees are the most
common sites, but the wrists, ankles, elbows, shoulders, and other
large joints are also affected. The arthritis often starts before the jaundice (yellowness of the skin) of hepatitis, and it may last for several weeks after the jaundice is gone. For patients with chronic (meaning long-lasting) hepatitis, joint pain may come and go.
Rubella
Rubella, a mild but highly infectious viral disease, causes
joint pain in many adults, especially women. Joint symptoms tend to
appear within a week of the rash common with this disease. The joints
are usually not inflamed, but they are stiff and painful. The hands,
knees, wrists, ankles, and elbows are most commonly affected. The joint
pain of rubella usually goes away within two weeks, but in some cases
it can last for several years.
The rubella vaccine also causes joint pain in about 15 percent of
people. Joint stiffness occurs about two weeks after the shot and lasts
for about a week. The vaccine has been known to cause more severe joint
stiffness in some people, however, which can last for more than a year.
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the virus that causes
AIDS. It is connected to several different forms of arthritis. When
people are newly infected with HIV, they often have flu-like symptoms
and joint pain. About 10 percent of HIV patients have severe joint pain
that comes and goes, mostly in the shoulders, elbows, and knees.
Patients with HIV are much more likely to develop reactive arthritis,
Reiter's syndrome, and psoriatic arthritis. In these cases, doctors
aren't sure whether HIV actually causes these forms of arthritis, or
whether the arthritis occurs separately. Up to 30 percent of HIV
patients also suffer from fibromyalgia.
In some cases, viruses that cause arthritis type symptoms can be carried by insects. Alphaviruses,
one such family of viruses, are carried by mosquitoes in Africa,
Australia, Europe, and Latin America. All can cause arthritis symptoms.
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