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Rheumatological complications of Covid 19
Hannah Zacharias1, Shirish Dubey2, Gouri Koduri3
1Dept of Rheumatology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS FT, Windmill Road, Oxford OX3 7LD, UK.
Insights
COVID-19 can trigger autoimmune responses, leading to rheumatological conditions like inflammatory arthritis, lupus-like disease, myositis, and vasculitis. This review examines these significant post-infection complications.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) has caused widespread global health challenges.
- The infection is associated with diverse immunological phenomena and has been linked to triggering autoimmune conditions.
- Post-acute infection rheumatological illnesses are increasingly reported.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and highlight the rheumatological complications following SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- To synthesize findings on autoimmune sequelae of COVID-19.
Main Methods:
- A literature search was performed for articles on COVID-19 sequelae.
- The search covered the period from January 2020 to April 2021.
Main Results:
- Reports indicate inflammatory arthritis following SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), renal disease, and vasculitis are noted complications.
- Myositis, rhabdomyolysis, and large vessel vasculitis in long COVID patients were also identified.
Conclusions:
- SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to significant rheumatological complications.
- Key identified complications include inflammatory arthritis, lupus-like disease, myositis, and vasculitis.
- These findings underscore the importance of monitoring for autoimmune sequelae post-COVID-19.
Introduction:
COVID-19 has caused unprecedented hardships in the 21st century with more than 150 million infections. Various immunological phenomena have been described during the course of the infection, and this infection has also triggered autoimmunity. Rheumatological illnesses have been described following resolution of the acute infection; hence we sought to conduct a review of the rheumatological complications of COVID-19.
Methods:
We conducted a literature search for articles relating to sequelae of COVID-19 from Jan 2020 to 30th April 2021.
Results:
We found a number of reports of inflammatory arthritis after SARS-CoV-2 infection. SLE and renal disease have been described, and vasculitis also appears to be a common complication. Rhabdomyolysis and myositis has also been reported in a number of patients. We also found some evidence of large vessel vasculitis in 'long COVID' patients.
Conclusions:
This review highlights a number of important complications such as inflammatory arthritis, lupus-like disease, myostis and vasculitis following SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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