Frequency and Etiology of Viral Arthropathies in West African Patients

Aim: To determine the frequency and etiology of viral arthritis in West African patients at the National Hospital University Hubert Koutoukou Maga of Cotonou. Patients and Methods: It was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out from January 2010 to July 2014 on patients received in rheumatology, hepato-gastroenterology, pediatric and internal medicine units. The selected patients had viral arthropathy. The diagnosis of viral arthritis was based on the presence of arthralgia or arthritis in the context of a viral infection. Patients with insufficiently explored records were excluded. Results: Among 4361 patients consulted, 49 (1.12%) had a viral arthropathy. The mean age of the patients was 49.13 ± 17.1 [15 - 68] years. The sex ratio was 0.58 (31 F/18 H). 38 patients were from Benin, 5 from Nigeria, 3 from Togo, 2 from Mali and 1 from Cote d’Ivoire. Joint symptoms were dominated by polyarthritis (n = 24 cases) and polyarthrlagias (n = 18 cases). Extra-articular signs present were dominated by fever (100%), skin signs (n = 37 cases), flu symptoms (n = 23 cases) and liver disorder (n = 19 cases). Viruses diagnosed were dominated by hepatitis B (n = 17), varicella-zona (n = 8) and HIV (n = 14). Conclusion: Viral arthropathy diagnosis is relatively common in West African patients especially with the HIV. This occurs as arthralgias or arthritis. The diagnosis is difficult in our working condition.