Incremento del número de casos de artrítis reumatoidea en pacientes post covid

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune pathology that affects various joints bilaterally. After the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous cases have been observed that have increased the incidence of this pathology, attributed to the immunological alterations caused by this virus. OBJECTIVE: This research aimed to analyze the existing evidence on the increase in the number of cases of rheumatoid arthritis among post-COVID patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review was conducted by searching scientific articles in PubMed, ProQuest, SciELO, and ScienceDirect databases using health science descriptors and MeSH terms combined with Boolean operators. RESULTS: The strategy and information selection included 35 articles after applying specific filters and criteria. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 triggers immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, thyroiditis, and vasculitis, among others, because it alters the tolerance mechanism. Likewise, the symptoms frequently reported in post-COVID arthritis are pain and inflammation in the hand and knee joints. The incidence of the disease remains unknown, but it can affect individuals of different ages and genders.