[Arthritis in lambliasis intestinalis (giardiasis) in the adult]

Joint involvement in giardiasis is reported in children and young persons only with one exception. We present two cases of adult patients (a thirty-year-old woman, 26-year-old man) who developed a slowly aggravating arthritis in PIP-joints, ankles and knees with a tendency to chronification or relapse. Giardiasis was diagnosed by examination of feces. Treatment with ornidazole was effective in arthritic and gastrointestinaly symptoms. The patients had neither ESR elevation nor any other signs of inflammatory processes. The arthritis factor was negative. HLA-typing showed no phenotypes associated with arthritides.