We sought to determine the prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) and their correlation with COVID-19 severity (in terms of clinical and laboratory parameters) in patients without thrombotic events during the early phase of infection. This was a cross-sectional study with the inclusion of hospitalized COVID-19 patients from a single department during the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020–May 2021). Previous known immune disease or thrombophilia along with long-term anticoagulation and patients with overt arterial or venous thrombosis during SARS-CoV-2 infection were excluded. In all cases, data on four criteria for aPL were collected, namely lupus anticoagulant (LA), IgM and IgG anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL), as well as IgG anti-β2 glycoprotein I antibodies (aβ2GPI). One hundred and seventy-nine COVID-19 patients were included, with a mean age of 59.6 (14.5) years and a sex ratio of 0.8 male: female. LA was positive in 41.9%, while it was strongly positive in 4.5%; aCL IgM was found in 9.5%, aCL IgG in 4.5%, and aβ2GPI IgG in 1.7% of the sera tested. Clinical correlation: LA was more frequently expressed in severe COVID-19 cases than in moderate or mild cases (p = 0.027). Laboratory correlation: In univariate analysis, LA levels were correlated with D-dimer (p = 0.016), aPTT (p = 0.001), ferritin (p = 0.012), C-reactive protein (CRP) (p = 0.027), lymphocyte (p = 0.040), and platelet (p < 0.001) counts. However, in the multivariate analysis, only the CRP levels correlated with LA positivity: OR (95% CI) 1.008 (1.001–1.016), p = 0.042. LA was the most common aPL identified in the acute phase of COVID-19 and was correlated with infection severity in patients without overt thrombosis.

Background/Objectives: The goal of this study was to assess the correlation between ultrasound measurements and nerve conduction study (NCS)-defined carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) severity and to explore clinical and demographic factors associated with CTS severity in a sample of Romanian patients. Methods: We prospectively evaluated consecutive patients with clinically diagnosed CTS. All patients underwent standardized clinical assessment, ultrasonographic examination of the median nerve, and NCS. CTS severity was graded electrophysiologically (three-level scale), and associations with demographic, clinical, and ultrasound parameters were examined using univariate analyses and multivariable generalized estimating equation (GEE) models to account for within-patient clustering. Results: Among 193 CTS hands (100 patients, mean age 58 years, 93% female), electrophysiological severity correlated significantly with several ultrasound and clinical parameters. In multivariable GEE models, the presence of nocturnal symptoms, sensory loss, thenar weakness/atrophy, male sex, larger maximal median nerve cross-sectional area (mCSA), and impaired median nerve mobility were independent predictors of higher NCS-defined severity. Pseudo-R² increased from 0.04 in the core clinical model to 0.25 when ultrasound parameters were included, indicating improved model performance. Conclusions: Ultrasound parameters, particularly mCSA and median nerve mobility, together with clinical features, such as nocturnal symptoms, sensory loss, and thenar weakness, are independently associated with NCS-defined CTS severity. These findings support the complementary role of ultrasound alongside NCS in severity grading and highlight its potential to guide timely diagnosis and management.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a frequent yet under-recognized complication in systemic sclerosis (SSc), where hand symptoms may overlap with vasculopathy