Corticosteroid-induced avascular bone necrosis and possible association with prior COVID-19 infection

Abstract

Corticosteroid is a frequent implicating factor for the development of avascular bone necrosis (AVN). The etiology of corticosteroid-induced AVN is not fully understood, but it includes fat hypertrophy, fat embolism, and intravascular coagulation that causes obstruction of blood supply to the bone. This association can be carried forward for COVID-19 as well since it is also a microvascular disease. Suffering from COVID-19 and prescription of glucocorticoids could both be responsible for AVN. Early recognition of this complication is essential as the prognosis is affected by the stage of the disease.

Keywords

• avascular necrosis
• covid-19
• femoral head
• glucocorticoids
• systemic lupus erythematosus