Arthritis after COVID-19 may result from reactive arthritis or long COVID. Joint pain can also be a side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine. One of these conditions is rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Up to 45 percent of individuals with rheumatic diseases, which include rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic autoimmune disorders that cause inflammation, experience persistent symptoms associated with long COVID 28 days after acute infection with SARS-CoV-2. Patients with rheumatic disease are also at risk for more severe disease.
The number of people who have long COVID and a non-rheumatic autoimmune disease was also higher (7.3%) but lower than in autoimmune arthritis. In a Canadian survey of 170 people with arthritis, many reported worsening symptoms after COVID-19 infection. Long COVID will remain a diagnostic challenge given the similarities it shares with SARD.
Recently, arthralgia and arthritis have been reported after SARS-CoV-2 infection in three patients that were negative for rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA). In this Correspondence, we describe a man who developed arthritis after COVID-19. On February 20, 2020, a 67-year-old non-smoking man attended a …
COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, can lead to severe inflammation and has been suggested to induce autoimmune phenomena. Multiple studies have reported autoantibodies in patients with COVID-19, particularly anti-cardiolipin, anti-β2-glycoprotein I, and antinuclear antibodies. Anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) and flaring of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after SARS-CoV-2 infection have …
Long COVID from rheumatology perspective – a narrative review. 2022 Feb41 (2):337-348. Long-term sequel of acute COVID-19, commonly referred to as long COVID, has affected millions of patients worldwide. Long COVID patients display persistent …
A study published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology in May 2021, which examined thousands of veterans, reported that the risk of COVID-19 was 25% higher and the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization or death 35% higher among those with rheumatoid arthritis compared to those without the disease. The authors concluded that people with rheumatoid …
Other clinical manifestations of long COVID-19 important in rheumatology. Beyond the major categories discussed above, and as noted previously, there are a wide range of other symptoms that have been ascribed to Long COVID, which have previously been reviewed. Breathlessness, cough, and dyspnea are common and when present …
