Neurológia pre prax 2/2023

Covid-19 and its impact on (chronic) pain – observations from experience

Pain is a common symptom accompanying the coronavirus disease COVID-19 caused by coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In addition to acute headache, myalgia and arthralgia or neuropathic pain in context of acute viral illness, chronic pain can be worsened as well. This can be due to post-viral syndrome, direct affection of nervous system by viral penetration, or as a consequence of psychological distress due to limited health care, social isolation, fear of infection and so on. When proceeding of the interventional procedures in patients with COVID-19 disease we should take general precautions for personal protection and consider a dose of corticoids and undergoing anticoagulation therapy. We can anticipate a higher incidence of chronic fatigue syndrome in patients with COVID-19. We found 82 patients with chronic pain of locomotive systems in our clinical praxis who suffered Covid-19, 23% with severe form and 77% light to moderate form of Covid-19. A similar worsening of chronic pain was reported in 68% cases in both groups, whilst the same degree of chronic pain was reported in 32% cases.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, chronic pain, psychological distress, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia