COVID-19 in patients with rheumatic diseases: frequency and course

Objectives. The aim of the study was to assess frequency and severity of COVID-19 in patients with rheumatic diseases (RD). Patients and methods. The study included information on the presence or absence of COVID-19 in the medical history of 9185 patients with immunoinflammatory RD (IIRD) and 491 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) who were observed at the V. A. Nasonova Research Institute of Rheumatology from September 21, 2021 to December 28, 2023. Results . The incidence of COVID-19 in the analyzed IIRD was significantly higher compared to OA (p<0.02). All IIRD included in the analysis are characterized by an increased risk of COVID-19 incidence when compared with OA by 1.7–3.5 times. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Sjögren's disease, systemic sclerosis, psoriatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, microcrystalline arthritis, ANCA- associated vasculitis and poly/dermatomyositis were significantly more likely (p<0.009) to receive COVID-19 therapy compared with the control group. Patients with these diseases are characterized by an increased risk of treatment for COVID-19 by 1.7–6.5 times compared with OA. Also, patients with inflammatory joint diseases (IJD), connective tissue diseases (CTDs) and systemic vasculitis (SV) were hospitalized with COVID-19 more often than patients with OA (p=0.013, p=0.003 and p<0.001, respectively). Patients with IJD, CTDs and SV are characterized by an increased risk of hospitalization with COVID-19 by 3.5–6.8 times compared with OA. In addition, elderly patients with IIRD are characterized by an increasing risk of treatment, hospitalization and use of biologics or targeted synthetic disease-modifying drugs for COVID-19. Conclusion. According to the data obtained, the problem of COVID-19 remains very significant for patients with RD. This dictates the need to continue studying risk factors for adverse outcomes of the disease and vaccine prevention of this infectious pathology.