INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIDES in POST-COVID-19 PATIENTS: AN ALBANIAN EXPERIENCE

ABSTRACT

Background: COVID-19 is a disease caused by the new pathogen SARS-CoV2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) typically presenting with pneumonia but also other systemic manifestation has been reported worldwide [1]. Different reports have described the appearance of infammatory arthritis (IA) after resolution of acute infection from COVID-19 [2]. Objectives: To observe the frequency of Infammatory Arthritis in an Albanian cohort of post-COVID-19 patients. Methods: Post-Covid-19 patients, having two consecutive negative PCR (realtime reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction), discharged from the Pul-monology Department (January-July 2021) were invited to enter in a 6 (six) month multidisciplinary observational study. Data regarding post-COVID-19 infammatory arthritis are presented in this study. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to express data. Results: From 154 post-COVID-19 patients (F/M = 62/92) enrolled, 14 (9.09%) patients didn't follow regularly the dedicated ambulatory thus were excluded from this study. Considering the remaining 140 patients (F/M = 58/82), only 21 (15%) patients were diagnosed with IA where the most common were, respectively Reactive Arthritis (ReA) 11 (52.3%) patients;Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) 4 (19.09%) patients;Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) 3 (14.2%) patients;Gout Arthritis (GA) 3 (14.2%) patients. All rheumatic conditions were more frequent in male than in female post-COVID-19 patients. Data summarized in Table 1. All patients that developed a post COVID-19 IA, had fever during the period of SARS-CoV2 infection. Arthralgia was a typical symptom that have been reported by patients that have developed RA and AS. All RA post-Covid-19 patients reported having had even symptoms like cough, dispnea and fatigue. None of the AS patients neither GA reported symptoms of dysguesia or anosmia. Only 9% of ReA patients reported having had abdominal pain during acute infection with SARS-Cov2. Data summarized in Figure 1. Conclusion: IA is another manifestation that follows acute infection from COVID-19. In this regard increased awareness and further investigations are needed in order to better understand weather SARS-Cov2 infection can accelerate the development of a rheumatic autoimmune disease.