Acute human parvovirus B19 (B19) infection induces systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-like symptoms. It has been controversial whether B19 infection causes SLE and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
This study prospectively investigated whether symptoms of B19 infection persisted for more than 2 years and whether persistent symptoms contributed to the development of SLE and RA.
In this prospective study, clinical findings were examined and laboratory examinations were performed in 42 adult patients 1, 2, 6, 12 and 24 months after the first consultation.
Most acute symptoms disappeared within 2 weeks. However, arthralgia continued for 2 months in 2 women, 6 months in 1 woman and more than 2 years in 1 woman with positive antinuclear antibody and hypocomplementemia. The clinical findings of the patient with persistent arthralgia did not fulfill the criteria for SLE and RA.
The symptoms caused by B19 infection were transient in most cases but persisted in 1 case in our series.