Early-developed hand osteoarthritis in treated HIV-positive patients: Four cases

We describe four cases of hand osteoarthritis in patients with HIV infection under antiretroviral treatment. A 36-year-old HIV-infected man came for consultation in 2007 with hand osteoarthritis. He was diagnosed HIV positive by sexual transmission in 1997. A 52-year-old HIV-infected woman came for consultation with hand osteoarthritis started in 2006. She was diagnosed HIV positive in 1986 by sexual transmission. A 57-year-old man presented hand osteoarthritis. This former IV drug user was diagnosed HIV positive in 1989. A 61-year-old HIV-infected man presented with hand osteoarthritis started in 2010. He had been contaminated with HIV in 1990 by sexual transmission. For all patients, there were neither clinical nor biological manifestations suggesting inflammatory arthritis. X-rays showed signs of hand osteoarthritis. CD4 cell count was over 500/mm(3) and the viral load was below 20 copies/mL under treatments. These four cases show osteoarthritis in HIV-infected patients. Hand osteoarthritis did not seem to be linked to aging or to an antiretroviral treatment's side effect, but rather to the HIV infection itself, and it may pass through a metabolic syndrome. We described a possible association between early-developed hand osteoarthritis and HIV-infected patients. Clinicians should consider osteoarthritis when they are confronted with HIV-infected patients with chronic hand pain.