Background/Purpose: Musculoskeletal complaints are common among survivors of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and can have clinical impacts beyond two years post-convalescence. The frequency of these manifestations has been described in several post-convalescent populations, but with very little detail. This study helps detail arthritis manifestations in EVD survivors.

Methods: EVD survivors were evaluated at an established survivors’ clinic between 6/29/2015 & 7/2/2015. A trained rheumatologist formally evaluated self-selected survivors, and data were recorded on a standardized form. Summary statistics were then performed.

Results: Forty-six Ebola survivors presented to the survivors’ clinic and were evaluated. The mean age was 37.8 years, ranging from 14 to 68 years of age at the time of evaluation. The survivors who presented to the clinic were 54% female and 46% male. Of those whose musculoskeletal complaints could be related to the Ebola infection (i.e., the infection preceded the symptoms), n=42, the mean number of days between being released from the Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) and development of arthritis symptoms was 46.6 days, SD of 81.5 days. The most striking feature of the Ebola survivors’ musculoskeletal symptoms is the high prevalence of enthesitis. Of those examined, 43% had enthesitis in at least one site identified for formal spondyloarthritis examinations after a mean of 202 days of symptoms. Only 7% had one or more swollen joints. Sacroiliac joint tenderness was not a common feature, with only 5% with a positive exam. Twenty-six percent espoused past or present uveitis.

Conclusion: Musculoskeletal complaints are reportedly common among EVD survivors. In a self-selected survivor population, the musculoskeletal complaints are most notable for a predominance of enthesitis with an absence of signs of inflammatory arthritis and sacroiliitis.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/musculoskeletal-manifestations-in-ebola-survivors/