RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Prevalence of hospital PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases in patients with chronic inflammatory and autoimmune rheumatic diseases
JF Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
JO Ann Rheum Dis
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and European League Against Rheumatism
SP 1170
OP 1173
DO 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-217763
VO 79
IS 9
A1 Pablos, Jose L
A1 Abasolo, Lydia
A1 Alvaro-Gracia, Jose M
A1 Blanco, Francisco J
A1 Blanco, Ricardo
A1 Castrejón, Isabel
A1 Fernandez-Fernandez, David
A1 Fernandez-Gutierrez, Benjamín
A1 Galindo-Izquierdo, María
A1 Gonzalez-Gay, Miguel A
A1 Manrique-Arija, Sara
A1 Mena Vázquez, Natalia
A1 Mera Varela, Antonio
A1 Retuerto, Miriam
A1 Seijas-Lopez, Alvaro
A1 
YR 2020
UL http://ard.bmj.com/content/79/9/1170.abstract
AB Background The susceptibility of patients with rheumatic diseases and the risks or benefits of immunosuppressive therapies for COVID-19 are unknown.Methods We performed a retrospective study with patients under follow-up in rheumatology departments from seven hospitals in Spain. We matched updated databases of rheumatology patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-positive PCR tests performed in the hospital to the same reference populations. Rates of PCR+ confirmed COVID-19 were compared among groups.Results Patients with chronic inflammatory diseases had 1.32-fold higher prevalence of hospital PCR+ COVID-19 than the reference population (0.76% vs 0.58%). Patients with systemic autoimmune or immune-mediated disease (AI/IMID) showed a significant increase, whereas patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) or systemic lupus erythematosus did not. COVID-19 cases in some but not all diagnostic groups had older ages than cases in the reference population. Patients with IA on targeted-synthetic or biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), but not those on conventional-synthetic DMARDs, had a greater prevalence despite a similar age distribution.Conclusion Patients with AI/IMID show a variable risk of hospital-diagnosed COVID-19. Interplay of ageing, therapies and disease-specific factors seem to contribute. These data provide a basis to improve preventive recommendations to rheumatic patients and to analyse the specific factors involved in COVID-19 susceptibility.