Relationship between myalgia and laboratory parameters in hospitalized patients with COVID-19

Abstract

Aim: Myalgia is among the first and most common symptoms in patients with COVID-19. A limited number of studies have been found evaluating the frequency of myalgia and the laboratory findings associated with this condition. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of myalgia and the relationship between myalgia and laboratory parameters in patients who were hospitalized due to COVID-19.
 Material and Methods: Three hundred fifty-eight patients with confirmed diagnoses of COVID-19 who were hospitalized between March 2020 and January 2021 were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence and absence of myalgia. Demographic characteristics, medical history, symptoms, clinical findings, and laboratory findings were evaluated retrospectively.
 Results: A total of 358 patients, 192 (42.9%) females and 166 males, were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 60.3 ± 15.2 years. When the laboratory findings of the 166 patients with myalgia and 192 patients with no myalgia were compared, no difference was found between the groups in terms of white blood cell, neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, and platelet counts, C-reactive protein, ferritin D-dimer, and troponin levels. However, creatine kinase (CK) levels were found to be significantly higher in the group with myalgia compared with the group without myalgia (p