The role of COVID-19 in myopathy: incidence, causes, treatment, and prevention

• Published in: Journal of medicine and life Vol. 15; no. 12; pp. 1458 - 1463
• Main Authors: Awad, Manal, Al-Hussaniy, Hany Akeel, Alburghaif, Ali Hikmat, Tawfeeq, Karam Turath
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Romania Carol Daila University Foundation 01-12-2022; Carol Davila University Press
• Subjects: Atrophy; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - complications; Disease; Enzymes; Guillain-Barre syndrome; Homeostasis; Humans; Incidence; Inflammation - complications; Insulin resistance; Intensive care; Muscular Diseases - epidemiology; Muscular Diseases - etiology; Muscular Diseases - prevention & control; Musculoskeletal system; Myopathy; Neuromuscular diseases; Pandemics; Paralysis; Pathogenesis; Review; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Viral infections; COVID-19; muscular diseases; SARS-CoV-2; search engine; intensive care units
• ISSN: 1844-122X; 1844-3117
• DOI: 10.25122/jml-2022-0167

Myopathy is a disease characterized by muscle dysfunction in general and may be associated with genetics, medication such as statins, or inflammation. In 2019, an epidemic viral infection (SARS-CoV-2 virus) that invaded most countries worldwide appeared and caused acute respiratory disease. Consequently, patients had to take a group of drugs for a relatively long treatment period. According to several studies, there was an increase in the cases of muscular disorders due to several factors. This study aimed to (1) investigate the relationship between COVID-19 and myopathy and (2) identify the causes and prevention methods. A systematic review was conducted, analyzing several articles from the following databases: ResearchGate, Medline, DOAJ (The Directory of Open-Access Journals), PubMed, and Google Scholar. After performing the search and filtering the results, we included 61 articles. There was a strong relationship between COVID-19 and myopathy, especially in patients admitted to the ICU department, due to medication or neurological dysregulation with multiorgan dysfunctions such as polyneuropathy, peripheral nerve involvement, dysautonomia, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and many others.