• Ujjwol Prasad Risal, Mrikchhya Ghimire, Asmita Karki, Nahakul Shahi, and Suravi Pandey.
• Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital for Advanced Medicine and Surgery, Dhumbarahi, Kathmandu, Nepal.
• JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc. 2023 May 1; 61 (261): 424427424-427.

IntroductionCOVID-19 is a global pandemic that has affected millions of people worldwide. It predominantly affects the respiratory tract causing various respiratory symptoms. It also causes various musculoskeletal symptoms in the form of arthralgia and myalgia which may be incapacitating for some patients. The objective of this study was to find out the prevalence of arthralgia among patients with COVID-19 infection admitted to the Department of Medicine.MethodsThis descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Internal Medicine of a tertiary care centre. Data from March 2020 to May 2021 were collected between 2 December 2021 and 20 December 2021 from the hospital records. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethical Review Board (Reference number: 1312). All patients who were admitted with the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection based on positive Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction for COVID-19 were included in the study. Convenience sampling method was used. Point estimate and 95% confidence interval were calculated.ResultsAmong 929 patients included in the study, the prevalence of arthralgia was found to be 106 (11.41%) (10.30-12.51, 95% Confidence Interval). The mean age of these patients was 52.81±17.46 years.ConclusionsThe prevalence of arthralgia in COVID-19-infected patients was similar to other similar studies done in similar settings.Keywordsarthralgia; COVID-19; prevalence; tertiary care.

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