Thread by @elisaperego78

A small study but it shows ➡️ a marked increase of bone marrow edema in the phalanges of hands and feet after the beginning of the covid pandemic in the study group, suggesting SARS-CoV-2 infection as a potential trigger

#LongCovid

link.springer.com/article/10.100…

The patients could present with pain and skin erythema, similar to the "covid toes". Analysis of the MRI scans in the study showed similarities to Raynaud's phenomenon. The pandemic increase was thirteenfold (13 times higher than pre-), which was statistically significant

Most cases, but not all, were found in middle-aged (mean 40.3 ± 14,3 years) female patients (80.0%), with no comorbidities. A previous SARS-CoV-2 infection was documented only in some cases (this doesn't exclude an asymptomatic/pauci-symptomatic or undocumented infection)

The study looked at the medical records of 7215 patients. Isolated bone marrow edema of the digits in MRI studies is rare; but ➡️ only 2 (0.05%) were found 2 years before the pandemic’s beginning, and 18 (0.64%) after the pandemic’s onset "with increase of 13-fold in this period"

Overall the "study demonstrated a significant increase in the prevalence of bone marrow edema of the phalanges after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in middle-aged and younger women." The documented covid cases pre-edema are described as "mild"

"None of the patients had symptoms of COVID infection at the time of the MRI study. In patients previously diagnosed with COVID, the mean time frame between infection diagnosis and MRI examination was 8.8 months (range 2–15 months)" [it would be therefore in #LongCovid]

The study was based on data from Brazil. Most patients had received at least one vaccine dose; the study extended into 2022