Reactive arthritis following COVID-19: clinical case presentation and literature review

Reactive arthritis (ReA) is a clinical condition typically triggered by extra-articular bacterial infections and often associated with the presence of HLA-B27. While ReA has traditionally been associated with gastrointestinal and genitourinary infections, its pathogenesis involves immune and inflammatory responses that lead to joint affections. The emergence of COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has prompted studies of plausible associations of the virus with ReA. We present a case of ReA in a patient who survived COVID-19 and presented with joint affections. The patient, a 31-year-old man, presented with lower limb joints pain. SARS-CoV-2 was confirmed by PCR testing during COVID-19-associated pneumonia. Following a thorough examination and exclusion of all ReA-associated infections, a diagnosis of ReA after COVID-19 was confirmed. In addition, this article encompasses a study of similar clinical cases of ReA following COVID-19 reported worldwide.