Abstract
Background
Arthralgia, myalgia, acute interstitial pneumonia-like presentation, venous thromboembolism, cytopenia, secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and cytokine storm are the clinical and laboratory findings associated with Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which may mimic rheumatic syndromes. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a highly heterogeneous disease, and various clinical features can be seen in affected individuals. Differentiated diagnoses are quite broad in SLE. We present six patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and/ or antiphospholipid syndrome mimicking COVID-19 pneumonia.
Methods
We described the demographic, clinical, radiological, and laboratory characteristics of six consecutive patients with suspected COVID-19 between 16 April and 1 June 2020—all patients presented with COVID-19 symptoms.
Results
All patients had two COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, and all of them were negative. Four patients were diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), one with systemic lupus erythematosus with antiphospholipid syndrome, and one with antiphospholipid syndrome. The ages of our patients were between 20 and 43. All patients had arthralgia. Four of our patients (66.6%) needed intensive care.
Conclusions
Arthralgia with myalgia was observed to be a clue for a rheumatic disorder. Clinicians should be mindful of infectious and non-infectious disorders that may present similarly to COVID-19, particularly during the pandemic.