Avascular necrosis of femoral head following COVID-19 infection

• Published in: Annals of medicine and surgery 2023-09, Vol.85 (9), p.4206-4210
• Main Authors: Assad, Saywan K., Sabah, Mohammed, Kakamad, Fahmi H., Salih, Abdulwahid M., Salih, Rawezh Q., Mohammed, Shvan H., Ali, Razhan K., Abdalla, Berun A., Hassan, Marwan N.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Original Research
• ISSN: 2049-0801; 2049-0801
• DOI: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000001098

IntroductionIt is crucial to be aware of post-COVID-19 non-pulmonary complications. Avascular necrosis (AVN) is one of these complications. It should be noted that the risk of AVN persists in individuals who have recovered from the COVID-19 infection. The current study aims to report several cases of AVN after being infected with SARS-CoV-2. Materials and methodsThis is a single-centre retrospective case series conducted over a 2-year period (January 2021-December 2022) involving individuals who developed AVN after being infected with COVID-19. ResultThe study included a total of 17 patients. The mean age of patients was 38.65±6.1 years. Twelve of them were male (70.6%) and five were female (29.4%), with a ratio of 3:1. The mean BMI of the patients was 28.3±2.4 kg/m2. Eleven (64.7%) patients reported administering steroid injections throughout the infection course. The mean interval between COVID-19 infection and presentation to the clinic was 6.53 months. The majority of patients (82.3%) complained of bilateral hip pain. Limping was observed in 47% of the cases. MRI showed AVN in all cases. Bilateral core decompression was performed in five cases (29.4%), total hip replacement in three cases (17.6%), and conservative treatment in nine cases (53%). ConclusionThe ongoing pandemic may have many long-term sequelae. There is a risk of developing AVN after COVID-19.