Abstract
BACKGROUND: In this study, the relationship between involvement by COVID-19 and the recurrence of symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 112 patients with RA with and without a history of COVID-19. The severity and recurrence of RA symptoms were measured and recorded by the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS-28) index and clinical evaluations by a rheumatologist. RESULTS: The results showed that the recurrence of RA in patients with and without a history of COVID-19 had a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001). In addition, there was a statistically significant relationship between erythrocyte sedimentation rate, visual analogue scale (VAS), tender joint count, swollen joint count, and DAS-28 and the history of COVID-19 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study showed that infection with COVID-19 leads to the recurrence of joint symptoms in RA patients.