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Case Reports: Reminder of important clinical lesson
Axial spondylarthritis following COVID-19 infection
  1. Rajesh Gopalarathinam,
  2. Shainy Nawimana and
  3. Arvind Nune
  1. Department of Rheumatology and Medicine, Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust, Southport, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Arvind Nune; Arvind.nune{at}nhs.net

Abstract

Although SARS-CoV-2 syndrome primarily affects the lungs, systemic manifestations have been reported. New rheumatic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases have been reported following SARS-CoV-2 infection. We present a case of a woman in her mid-30s who developed inflammatory back pain due to bilateral sacroiliitis with erosions after contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection. Her inflammatory markers on presentation were normal. MRI of the sacroiliac joints demonstrated bone marrow oedema and erosive changes in both sacroiliac joints. As the patient was intolerant to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, adalimumab 40 mg subcutaneous (SC) injection was administered, which improved her symptoms in 8 weeks. However, due to the drug’s side effects, SC adalimumab was switched to intravenous infliximab. The patient is currently tolerating her intravenous infliximab well and has experienced significant improvement in her symptoms. We reviewed the current literature on the prevalence of axial spondyloarthropathy after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

  • Infectious diseases
  • Anklosing spondylitis
  • Biological agents

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2022-252985

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors The following authors were responsible for the drafting of the text, sourcing and editing clinical images, investigation results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms, and critical revision for important intellectual content: RG, SN and AN. The following authors gave final approval of the manuscript: RG, SN and AN.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.