Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Rheumatic Patients with Inflammatory Disorders: A Descriptive Study from a High Infection Incidence Region of Northern Spain

Abstract

Background: Since the first confirmed case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in Spain in January 2020, the susceptibility of patients with rheumatic disease has remained unclear. In this report, we will describe the main features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that occurred in rheumatic patients with inflammatory disorders and try to identify features associated with severe disease.

Methods: We included all rheumatic patients with immune-mediated diseases followed at 6 centers belonging to the public healthcare system in the Basque Country (Spain) and diagnosed with COVID-19 from March 1, 2020, to May 31, 2020.

Results: In total, 131 patients were included in this study. The most frequent rheumatic disease was rheumatoid arthritis (46.6%), and the main comorbidities were arterial hypertension (45%). Fortyseven percent were taking glucocorticoids (GC) (62 patients), 61.8% were under treatment with conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARD), and 25 patients (19.1%) were receiving targeted therapies (TT). Thirty-eight percent of patients required hospital admission, 2.3% required transfer to intensive care uni, and the rate of mortality was 9.2%. Associated factors in univariate analysis for a bad outcome were older age, use of GC, obesity, previous cardiovascular disease, and lymphopenia. Use of GC and lymphopenia remained within the multivariate model.

Conclusion: The frequency of COVID-19 seems to be similar in rheumatic patients as in the general population. Advanced age, obesity, heart disease, glucocorticoids, and low levels of lymphocytes were more common among the patients with a bad outcome. Neither exposure to csDMARD nor TT was associated with severe cases.