Symptoms:

The main symptom are joint pain and joint swelling of one or more joints.

Signs and tests:

A physical examination shows joint inflammation. A serology for viral agents may be performed.

Treatment:

Your doctor may prescribe pain medicines to relieve discomfort.

If joint inflammation is severe, aspiration of fluid from the affected joint may relieve pain.

Expectations (prognosis):

The outcome is usually good. Most viral arthritis disappears within several days to weeks when the underlying virus-related disease goes away.

Complications:

There are usually no complications.

Calling your health care provider:

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if arthritis symptoms persist continuously for longer than a few weeks.

Prevention:

There is no known way to prevent viral arthritis.