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The present study was designed to prospectively evaluate the frequency of rheumatic symptoms in a cohort of patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), to examine the relationship between such findings and a variety of clinical and epidemiologic variables, and to evaluate the impact of rheumatic symptoms on the natural history of the HIV infection. One hundred seventeen patients were evaluated over a mean of 24.6 months (range 0.5–85 months). Cumulatively, 1.7% had Reiter's syndrome, 1.7% had psoriatic arthritis, and 11.1% had various forms of oligoarticular/monarticular or polyarticular arthritis. The majority of the rheumatic symptoms developed during the longitudinal evaluation and predominantly affected patients with clinically advanced HIV infection. Patients with articular disease tended to have more progressive HIV infection and were more likely to experience disease progression to clinical acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or death. Our data suggest that the occurrence of rheumatic symptoms in the presence of HIV infection is not uncommon and tends to develop over time, in the setting of clinically advanced retroviral infection. Furthermore, the presence of rheumatic symptoms may be a sign of a poor prognosis for patients with HIV infection.

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In brief: AIDS is the most significant public health problem of our generation and has implications for athletes and their health care professionals. A growing body of scientific data supports the position that most individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can and should remain physically active and may participate in most sports. Current public health guidelines regarding transmission of HIV also apply to the training room and to organized sports. In addition, physicians and athletic trainers who disseminate the facts about AIDS and HIV are invaluable assets in the worldwide effort to eradicate AIDS.