Impact of long COVID on self-reported disease activity, disability, and quality of life in individuals with inflammatory arthritis

Abstract

Background

People with inflammatory arthritis are at risk for poor COVID-19 outcomes. Little is known about the impact of long COVID on disease activity, disability, and quality of life in this population.

Methods

We included participants with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or axial spondyloarthritis from RheumCARD, a prospective cohort study of people with rheumatic disease with and without prior COVID-19. Long COVID was defined as any symptom of acute COVID-19 for ≥90 days. Surveys include the Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID-3), modified health assessment questionnaire (MHAQ), short form-12 (SF-12), fatigue symptom inventory, and short form McGill Pain Questionnaire. We assessed the association of long COVID status with these outcomes.

Results

We analyzed n = 59 with long COVID, n = 165 without long COVID, and n = 59 without prior COVID-19. The most common long COVID symptoms were fatigue (37.3 %), altered smell/taste (27.1 % and 25.4 %), difficulty breathing (20.3 %), and headache (15.3 %). Those with vs. without long COVID had worse mHAQ (median 0.4 vs. 0.1, p < 0.001), RAPID-3 (4.0 vs. 2.3, p = 0.0005), and physical and mental health (SF-12: 37.7 vs. 47.2, p = 0.0003 and 45.3 vs. 53.0, p = 0.003, respectively). Fatigue and pain were worse in those with vs. without long COVID (p < 0.05 for comparisons). Similar trends were observed in those with long COVID vs. those without prior COVID-19.

Conclusion

Long COVID may result in worsened pain, fatigue, and quality of life in people with inflammatory arthritis. Patient-reported outcomes should be interpreted with caution in people with inflammatory arthritis because of the impact of long COVID.