Polyarthritis is any type of
arthritis
Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...
that involves 5 or more joints simultaneously. It is usually associated with autoimmune conditions and may be experienced at any age and is not sex specific.
Causes
Polyarthritis is most often caused by an
auto-immune disorder
An autoimmune disease is a condition arising from an abnormal immune response to a functioning body part. At least 80 types of autoimmune diseases have been identified, with some evidence suggesting that there may be more than 100 types. Nearly a ...
such as
rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are inv ...
, amyloidosis,
psoriatic arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis is a long-term inflammatory arthritis that occurs in people affected by the autoimmune disease psoriasis. The classic feature of psoriatic arthritis is swelling of entire fingers and toes with a sausage-like appearance. T ...
, and
lupus erythematosus but can also be caused by infection with an
alphavirus such as
chikungunya virus and
Ross River virus
''Ross River virus'' (RRV) is a small encapsulated single-strand RNA '' Alphavirus'' endemic to Australia, Papua New Guinea and other islands in the South Pacific. It is responsible for a type of mosquito-borne non-lethal but extremely debil ...
. This condition is termed alphavirus polyarthritis syndrome.
Sindbis virus, which is endemic in Northern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Australia, is the most widely distributed of the alphaviruses causing polyarthritis, though infection is usually mild or asymptomatic.
Associated conditions
It may be associated with bilateral edema in lower limbs, pain and joint swelling. Sometimes there is previous history of inflammatory joint problems and bilateral edema of lower limbs.
Alphavirus Polyarthritis Syndrome has an incubation period of 3–21 days, depending on the specific virus, with either a gradual or sudden onset of fever, arthralgias, headache, and lymphadenitis and conjunctivitis in some forms. A maculopapular rash may present 4–8 days post symptom onset and may be accompanied by an increase in fever. Joint pains associated with this condition may recur for many months after initial illness for up to a year.
See also
*
Polyarteritis nodosa
Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a systemic necrotizing inflammation of blood vessels (vasculitis) affecting medium-sized muscular arteries, typically involving the arteries of the kidneys and other internal organs but generally sparing the lungs' c ...
External links
{{Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue
Arthritis