A descriptive clinical study of a type of arthritis in beekeepers of the Badajoz area of La Siberia Extremeña

BACKGROUND: The appearance of episodes of arthritis has been detected in beekeepers in the Siberia Extremadura (Spain) related to working with the hives. This present work describes the clinical features of such arthritic syndrome. METHODS: Sixty cases were selected at random from a previous epidemiological study to undergo a clinical protocol that included, anamnesis, physical signs, haematological, biochemical and immunological analyses, and radiological exploration of hands, wrists, feet, and pelvis. RESULTS: The picture is characterized by episodes of oligoarthritis associated with bee-stings in the affected joints or nearby. The most frequent radiologic lesions are pinched articular lines, sclerosis, and the presence of geodes. Analytically, there was frequent eosinophilia, abnormalities in haemostasis tests, and a rise in serum alkaline phosphatase. CONCLUSIONS: An acute inflammatory oligoarthritis of unknown cause has been described which affects the hands asymmetrically, and which is found in beekeepers in relation to their work with the hives. It occasionally involves into a chronic localized arthropathy capable of provoking ankylosis and permanent articular disability.