Human immunodeficiency virus related reactive arthritis in Zambia

To characterize the clinical, radiological, and diagnostic features of reactive arthritis (ReA) in indigenous Black Zambians with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

Consecutive patients attending an arthritis clinic over a 5-year period were studied prospectively. Those who satisfied diagnostic criteria for ReA were analyzed.

In total, 170 patients satisfied the ESSG criteria for ReA; 71 (45 men, 26 women) had one or more extraarticular manifestations; 30% had enteroreactive and 14% uroreactive disease. Only 59% of patients had the diagnostic features of ReA at presentation. The initial diagnosis was undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy (uSpa) in 20%, other ReA in 14%, and "arthritis alone" in 7%. Of 65 (42 men, 23 women) patients tested, 94% were HIV-positive (91% men, 100% women). In those with HIV, the arthritis was predominantly polyarticular, lower limb-predominant, and progressive; 58% of 33 with persistent disease had erosions of foot and/or hand joints (average disease duration, 24.4 mo); 6 of 10 showed early radiological spine or sacroiliac joint changes (average duration 47.7 mo). Anterior uveitis occurred in 33% of patients, while keratoderma blenorrhagicum and stomatitis occurred in 14.3% and 9.5%, respectively, of patients with enteroreactive ReA. Uroreactive ReA was more common in women. There were no significant differences in the clinical, diagnostic, or radiographic features between men and women or between those with or without a known preceding trigger.

HIV associated ReA in Black Zambians frequently follows an accelerated course with a strong tendency to relapse, develop early erosions and joint deformity, and become chronic. The clinical, diagnostic, and radiographic features are indistinguishable from those described in the conventional (HLA-B27 related) disease, although our HIV-positive patients have a high overall frequency of uveitis, keratoderma, and onycholysis.