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Inflammatory Arthritis After COVID-19: A Case Series

S. Yadav, S. Bonnes, Elizabeth A. Gilman, M. R. Mueller, Nerissa M. Collins, R. Hurt, Ravindra Ganesh

The American journal of case reports, 2023

14 citations

Abstract

Case series Patients: Female, 45-year-old • Female, 46-year-old • Female, 54-year-old • Female, 61-year-old • Female, 19-year-old Final Diagnosis: Arthritis • rheumatoid arthritis Symptoms: Fatigue • joint pain • swelling Clinical Procedure: — Specialty: General and Internal Medicine • Rheumatology Objective: Rare coexistence of disease or pathology Background: Some patients who have recovered from acute infection with SARS-CoV-2 develop persistent symptoms that have been termed post-COVID syndrome (PoCoS). PoCoS can affect the musculoskeletal system, with arthralgia and myalgia being common. Preliminary evidence suggests that PoCoS is an immune-mediated condition that not only predisposes but also precipitates pre-existing inflammatory joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and reactive arthritis. Here, we describe a series of patients who presented to our Post-COVID Clinic and were found to have inflammatory arthritis (reactive and rheumatoid arthritis). Case Reports: We present 5 patients who developed joint pain several weeks after recovery from acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. These patients were seen in our Post-COVID Clinic and came from locations across the United States. All 5 patients were women, with age of diagnosis of COVID-19 disease between 19 and 61 years (mean 37.8 years). All patients presented with joint pain as the primary concern to the Post-COVID Clinic. Abnormal joint imaging was present in all patients. Treatments varied and included non-steroidal…

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Evidence Hub reads this as a case series, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.

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