Viral arthritis sweeps State

 At least 900 cases of viral arthritis or Post Viral Arthralgia have come to light across the State, according to minister for health and family welfare U T Khader. However, he said that with it being a self-limiting illness, there is no reason to worry.

Speaking to Deccan Herald on Tuesday, he added that the department had also kept an eye on the number of another disease, Scrub Typhus cases being reported in the State. “This is reported from the coastal parts of the State. So far 26 positive cases have been reported,” he added.

Post viral arthralgia, City doctors say, has been on the rise this season. Dr Ajit Benedict Royan, medical director, Hosmat Hospital, said they had been attending to many cases in their hospital. “They are patients who have recovered from fever. They come to us with sever pain in the joints. In a few cases, their joints are also swollen,” he said.

In such cases, dengue and  chikungunya also test negative. “It is self-limiting and treatment is symptomatic. Patients are mostly treated with pain killers and minimal dosage of steroids are administered, if need be,” Dr Royan said.

With no other associated problems such as drop in the platelet counts, there is no reason to worry, he explained.

The illness is being noticed for over five years now. However, this year, there has been an unusual spurt in the numbers, doctors say. “We are seeing close to three outpatient cases every day. They come with joint and severe pain in the back. These are mostly patients recovering from fever. It might take even about three months for the patients to recover in a few cases,” said Dr R Rajkumar, medical director, Rangadore Memorial Hospital.

He said the pain could be either in the smaller joints such as fingers or even the thigh joints and arms.