Muscle manifestations and CK levels in COVID infection: results of a large cohort of patients inside a Pandemic COVID-19 Area

Anna De Rosa 1,2, Elena Pinuccia Verrengia 1, Ivan Merlo 3,4, Federico Rea 3,4, Gabriele Siciliano 2, Giovanni Corrao 3,4, Alessandro Prelle 1

1 Neurology-Stroke Unit, AO Ospedale Civile di Legnano, ASST Ovest Milanese, Legnano, Italy; 2 Neurology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine University of Pisa, Italy; 3 National Centre for Healthcare Research & Pharmacoepidemiology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy; 4 Laboratory of Healthcare Research & Pharmacoepidemiology, Unit of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of Statistics and Quantitative Methods, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy

DOI 10.36185/2532-1900-040

 

Objective. To investigate both muscular manifestations and CK levels in a large cohort of patients with COVID-19 infection and to determine whether hyperckemia is associated with morbidity and mortality.

Methods. Data of 615 patients discharged from ASST Ovest Milanese (Milan, Lombardy, Italy) with final diagnosis of COVID-19 infection were retrospectively extracted from electronical medical records from 21 February to 1 May 2020. Patients were descriptively analyzed with respect to the following variables: sex, age, muscular manifestations (myalgia and/or arthralgia), fatigue, respiratory involvement (SARS pneumonia or respiratory failure) and history of falls. Association between patients’ characteristics and CK levels was investigated. In addition, the proportion of patients who died following access to the ER was calculated. Finally, the effect of CK levels and other patients’ features on mortality was estimated using a logistic regression model.

Results. 176 (28.6%) patients had raised serum CK levels. CK levels were significantly associated with history of falls, male gender, SARS pneumonia, respiratory failure and in-hospital death. No correlation was found between hyperckemia and muscular manifestations. 

Conclusions. Our study provides preliminary evidence that hyperckemia is associated with respiratory failure and fatal outcome in patients with COVID-19 infection. 

In these patients, among other testing, CK dosage is recommended.

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