Rheumatoid arthritis as a primary manifestation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection

Rheumatoid arthritis in a 23 year old soldier seen in Gonder, Ethiopia, in 1993 with a severe form of the disease is reported. The patient's serum was positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by both enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot tests. Arthritic symptoms were the primary and major manifestations in the patient.