Muscle or joint pain after contracting Covid-19? Radiology researchers have detected the onset of autoimmune myositis disorder in patients.
The coronavirus is not limited to the most common symptoms like cough, fever or fatigue. Some people may experience symptoms persistently, sometimes a few months after they recover. Respiratory disorders as well as serious, long-lasting and trying musculoskeletal disorders are emerging. This is the case with the presence of skin lesions in patients with SARS-COV-2.
Musculoskeletal disorders
In a study published in the journal Skeletal Radiology on February 18, 2021, Dr. Swati Deshmukh, researcher at Northwestern Medicine explains “Myalgia is a common clinical feature of Covid-19. The manifestations of the musculoskeletal symptoms of Covid-19 were rarely described at the start of the pandemic. However, as the number of coronavirus patients and survivors has increased, more and more neuromuscular complications have been reported. We can also read in the study that “Myalgia, defined as muscle pain, has been frequently reported in patients treated with COVID-19, with a prevalence ranging from 11 to 50%”.
Imaging to detect these muscle symptoms
Using imaging, doctors can detect “edema and inflammatory changes in tissues, hematomas or devitalized tissues”, develops Dr Swati Deshmukh. Imaging technology plays an important role in detecting the abnormalities that SARS-COV-2 causes in our body “Imaging can be used for initial diagnosis as well as for follow-up assessment to assess recovery from disease progression. In cases where a tissue sample is required, imaging can provide procedural advice. Northwestern Medicine researchers also claim that musculoskeletal disorders can have dire consequences in the short and long term and that it’s not just about “body pains similar to what we see with the flu – but something more insidious “.
