ArticleInternational journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases2021
Viral arthralgia a new manifestation of COVID-19 infection? A cohort study of COVID-19-associated musculoskeletal symptoms.
Article in International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 52 citations in OpenAlex.
- Osteonecrosis as a manifestation of Long-COVID Syndrome: a systematic review.Musculoskeletal surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Blockade of endothelin receptors mitigates SARS-CoV-2-induced osteoarthritis.Nature microbiology · 2024Article
- Groin pain aggravated in short term contracted by COVID-19 in THA patients: a case-crossover study.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2024Article
- Exploring the Pathophysiology of Long COVID: The Central Role of Low-Grade Inflammation and Multisystem Involvement.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Prognostic Role of Clinical Features of Moderate Forms of COVID-19 Requiring Hospitalization.Journal of personalized medicine · 2023Article
- Arthralgia among Patients with COVID-19 Infection Admitted to the Department of Medicine of a Tertiary Care centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.JNMA; journal of the Nepal Medical Association · 2023Article
- Evaluation and follow-up of pain, fatigue, and quality of life in COVID-19 patients.Osong public health and research perspectives · 2023Article
- Musculoskeletal complications in long COVID-19: A systematic review.World journal of virology · 2022Article
- Musculoskeletal symptoms in patients with long COVID: A cross-sectional study on Iranian patients.Heliyon · 2022Article
- Rheumatic Symptoms Following Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Chronic Post-COVID-19 Condition.Open forum infectious diseases · 2022Article
- A Review: The Manifestations, Mechanisms, and Treatments of Musculoskeletal Pain in Patients With COVID-19.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Lifting the Mask on Musculoskeletal Manifestations of COVID-19: Results of an Interview-Based Study.Open access rheumatology : research and reviews · 2022Article
- Association between initial symptoms and subsequent hospitalization in outpatients with COVID-19: A cohort study.Journal of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada = Journal officiel de l'Association pour la microbiologie medicale et l'infectiologie Canada · 2021Article
- Severe but Self-Limiting Polyarthralgia with Functional Impairment Following ChAdOx1 nCov-19 Vaccination in an Elderly Recipient.Vaccines · 2021Article
- Polyarthralgia and Myalgia Syndrome after ChAdOx1 nCOV-19 Vaccination.Journal of Korean medical science · 2021Article
- Predictors of Worse Prognosis in Young and Middle-Aged Adults Hospitalized with COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Multi-Center Italian Study (COVID-UNDER50).Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Article
- Effects of COVID-19 on the Musculoskeletal System: Clinician's Guide.Orthopedic research and reviews · 2021Review
- Assessment of risk factors in post- COVID-19 patients and its associated musculoskeletal manifestations: A cross-sectional study in India.Journal of orthopaedicsArticle
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesMusculoskeletal symptoms are often unrecognised as a prominent feature of COVID-19 infection. This study hypothesised that viral arthralgia is an uncommon but distinct manifestation of COVID-19 infection. In addition, it aimed to characterise the other musculoskeletal presentations of COVID-19 infection and study their prognostic implications.
methodsPatients hospitalised with COVID-19 infection were divided into two groups: those with and without musculoskeletal symptoms. Those with musculoskeletal symptoms were subdivided according to four patterns of musculoskeletal involvement: myalgia, arthralgia, backache and generalised body ache. Using binary regression logistic analysis, the risk of developing a viral pneumonia in patients with and without musculoskeletal complaints was compared.
resultsOf 294 hospitalised patients with COVID-19, 88 (30%) reported musculoskeletal complaints. Among these 88 patients, 37.5% had myalgia, 5.7% arthralgia, 6.8% new-onset backache and 50% generalised body ache. The presence of musculoskeletal complaints was not associated with the risk of developing viral pneumonia (6.8% vs. 9.7%, OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.26-1.76, p = 0.426). COVID-19 arthralgia was often more severe and had variable onset, while generalised body ache and myalgia were milder and coincided with the occurrence of fever or respiratory symptoms.
conclusionViral arthralgia is a novel clinical manifestation of COVID-19, and untypical of a viral prodrome or a reactive arthropathy. While musculoskeletal symptoms were not associated with developing a pneumonia, to avoid missing a diagnosis of COVID-19, clinicians should be aware of its variable onset, particularly when respiratory symptoms are absent at the time of presentation.
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