Rheumatological problems with COVID-19: from arthralgia to rheumatoid arthritis


DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/therapy.2022.2.24-31

Karateev A.E.

V.A. Nasonova Research Institute of Rheumatology, Moscow
Abstract. SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) can cause a systemic inflammatory response, vascular and thrombotic complications, and a wide range of autoimmune disorders. These changes can lead to the development of various rheumatological pathologies. At the onset of the disease, according to series of studies, myalgia is observed in 50,0–84,0%, arthralgia in 13,3–90,0% of patients. After suffering COVID-19, patients could have the situation when joint pain becomes one of the leading manifestations of post-COVID syndrome: on average, it is determined in 15% of cases. Autoimmune reactions associated with SARS-CoV-2 can cause acute post-infectious arthritis, which is characterized mainly by oligoarticular lesions of the joints of the lower extremities, a benign course, and a good «response» to anti-inflammatory therapy. In some cases, COVID-19 acts as a trigger, initiating the development of chronic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, such as systemic vasculitis, systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Keywords: postinfectious arthritis, COVID-19, arthralgia, rheumatoid arthritis
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About the Autors

Andrey E. Karateev, MD, head of the Department of inflammatory joint pathology, V.A. Nasonova Research Institute of Rheumatology. Address: 1115522, Moscow, 34A Kashirskoe Highway. E-mail: aekarat@yandex.ru.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1391-0711


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