J Autoimmun: SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with autoimmune rheumatoid disease in north-eastern Italy.

It is not clear whether patients with autoimmune rheumatoid disease (ARD) have a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19), and the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on patients' treatment compliance.
recently, researchers assessed the rate and clinical manifestations of COVID-19 in a large number of ARD follow-up patients at Northeastern University Hospital in Italy, and their findings were published online at J Autoimmun.
Between April 9 and April 25, 2020, after the peak of SARS-CoV-2 infection, researchers conducted a telephone survey to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ANCA-related vasculitis (AAV) and adrenal inflammatory myopathy (IIM).
addition, the researchers collected demographics, disease activity status, treatment, occupational exposure, and compliance with remote social alienation recommendations.
results, 916 patients (397 SLE, 182 AAV, 176 SSc, 111 RA, 50 IIM) completed the survey.
148 patients developed at least one symptom associated with COVID-19 (cough 96 cases, sore throat 64 cases, fever 64 cases, arthritis 59 cases, diarrhea 26 cases, conjunctivitis 18 cases, Alzheimer's disease / sweating disease 18 cases).
of the 916 patients, 65 (7.1 per cent) were tested for SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal swabs (18 had symptoms and 47 were asymptomatic), of which 2 (0.21 per cent) tested positive, a similar proportion to the general population in the Venito region.
no deaths have occurred.
31 patients (3.4%) withdrew from more than 1 drug, mainly immunosuppressants or biologics.
860 patients (93.9 per cent) were socially alienated, of whom 335 (36.6 per cent) were used before the formal closure.
, the results show that the rate of COVID-19 in the study queue appears to be similar compared to the general population.
are highly dependent on treatment and social alienation recommendations.
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