High rates of severe disease and death due to SARS-CoV-2 infection in rheumatic disease patients treated with rituximab: a descriptive study.
TL;DR: Treatment with rituximab should be considered a possible risk factor for unfavorable outcomes in COVID-19 patients with RMD, with a high rate of severe disease requiring hospitalization and a high mortality rate.
Abstract: The objective of this study is to describe the characteristics and outcomes of rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease (RMD) patients who were treated with rituximab and had suspected or confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. In this descriptive study, RMD patients who were treated with rituximab in the last 12 months at the Rheumatology Department of our hospital were screened for SARS-CoV-2 infection via telephone interview and a comprehensive review of clinical health records (01/02/2020-26/05/2020). Those with probable or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were included. In total, 76 patients were screened. Of these, 13 (17.1%) had suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. With regard to these 13 patients, the median age at coronavirus disease (COVID-19) diagnosis was 68 years (range 28-76 years) and 8 (61.5%) were female. Five patients had rheumatoid arthritis, three had systemic vasculitis, two had Sjogren syndrome, and two had systemic lupus erythematosus. Additionally, seven patients (53.8%) had pulmonary involvement secondary to RMD. Eight patients (61.5%) developed severe disease leading to hospitalization, and seven developed bilateral pneumonia and respiratory insufficiency. Of the eight hospitalized patients, five (62.5%) fulfilled the acute respiratory distress syndrome criteria and three developed a critical disease and died. Our cohort had a high rate of severe disease requiring hospitalization (61.5%), with bilateral pneumonia and hyperinflammation leading to a high mortality rate (23.1%). Treatment with rituximab should be considered a possible risk factor for unfavorable outcomes in COVID-19 patients with RMD. However, further study is required to confirm this association.
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TL;DR: The National Multiple Sclerosis Society and other expert organizations recommended that all patients with MS should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as discussed by the authors, however, they did not recommend that all MS patients with mild relapses be vaccinated.
Abstract: Background and Aims:The National Multiple Sclerosis Society and other expert organizations recommended that all patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) should be vaccinated against COVID-19. However,...
276 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a comprehensive review of adverse post-COVID health outcomes and potential long-coVID effects was conducted, and the authors observed that such adverse outcomes were not localized.
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has infected millions worldwide, leaving a global burden for long-term care of COVID-19 survivors. It is thus imperative to study post-COVID (i.e., short-term) and long-COVID (i.e., long-term) effects, specifically as local and systemic pathophysiological outcomes of other coronavirus-related diseases (such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)) were well-cataloged. We conducted a comprehensive review of adverse post-COVID health outcomes and potential long-COVID effects. We observed that such adverse outcomes were not localized. Rather, they affected different human systems, including: (i) immune system (e.g., Guillain-Barre syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndromes such as Kawasaki disease), (ii) hematological system (vascular hemostasis, blood coagulation), (iii) pulmonary system (respiratory failure, pulmonary thromboembolism, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, pulmonary vascular damage, pulmonary fibrosis), (iv) cardiovascular system (myocardial hypertrophy, coronary artery atherosclerosis, focal myocardial fibrosis, acute myocardial infarction, cardiac hypertrophy), (v) gastrointestinal, hepatic, and renal systems (diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain, anorexia, acid reflux, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, lack of appetite/constipation), (vi) skeletomuscular system (immune-mediated skin diseases, psoriasis, lupus), (vii) nervous system (loss of taste/smell/hearing, headaches, spasms, convulsions, confusion, visual impairment, nerve pain, dizziness, impaired consciousness, nausea/vomiting, hemiplegia, ataxia, stroke, cerebral hemorrhage), (viii) mental health (stress, depression and anxiety). We additionally hypothesized mechanisms of action by investigating possible molecular mechanisms associated with these disease outcomes/symptoms. Overall, the COVID-19 pathology is still characterized by cytokine storm that results to endothelial inflammation, microvascular thrombosis, and multiple organ failures.
170 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors used Fine and Gray's proportional subdistribution hazards models to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for the risk of invasive mechanical ventilation, with the competing risk of death.
74 citations
01 Oct 2021
TL;DR: In this paper, the first data on SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with inflammatory diseases was presented, showing that tolerability of vaccination in these diseases is good, although the immune response to vaccination can be somewhat reduced in this patient group.
Abstract: At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases were considered to be at high risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19. Data collected over the past year, however, suggest that a diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis, psoriasis, or inflammatory bowel diseases does not increase risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection or severe COVID-19 compared with people without these diseases. Furthermore, substantial data suggest that certain medications frequently used in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, in particular cytokine inhibitors, might even lower the risk for severe COVID-19. Conversely, glucocorticoids and potentially B-cell-depleting treatments seem to worsen COVID-19 outcomes. Additionally, the first data on SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with these diseases suggest that tolerability of vaccination in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases is good, although the immune response to vaccination can be somewhat reduced in this patient group, particularly those taking methotrexate or CD20-targeted treatment.
73 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors summarize the current data on leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates and vaccination of patients undergoing immunomodulatory cancer treatments and recommend that the majority of patients with cancer receive COVID vaccinations when possible.
Abstract: Less than a year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, ten vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 have been approved for at least limited use, with over sixty others in clinical trials. This swift achievement has generated excitement and arrives at a time of great need, as the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide continues to rapidly increase. Two vaccines are currently approved for full use, both built on mRNA and lipid nanotechnology platforms, a success story of mRNA technology 20 years in the making. For patients with cancer, questions arise around the safety and efficacy of these vaccines in the setting of immune alterations engendered by their malignancy and/or therapies. We summarize the current data on leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates and vaccination of patients undergoing immunomodulatory cancer treatments. Most current cancer therapeutics should not prevent the generation of protective immunity. We call for more research in this area and recommend that the majority of patients with cancer receive COVID vaccinations when possible.
72 citations
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University of California, San Francisco1, University of Alabama2, University of Alabama at Birmingham3, Stanford University4, University of Washington5, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria6, University of Otago7, Harvard University8, Boston Children's Hospital9, McMaster University10, HealthPartners11, University of Queensland12, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital13
TL;DR: It is found that glucocorticoid exposure of ≥10 mg/day is associated with a higher odds of hospitalisation and anti-TNF with a decreased odds ofospitalisation in patients with rheumatic disease.
Abstract: Objectives COVID-19 outcomes in people with rheumatic diseases remain poorly understood. The aim was to examine demographic and clinical factors associated with COVID-19 hospitalisation status in people with rheumatic disease. Methods Case series of individuals with rheumatic disease and COVID-19 from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance registry: 24 March 2020 to 20 April 2020. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate ORs and 95% CIs of hospitalisation. Age, sex, smoking status, rheumatic disease diagnosis, comorbidities and rheumatic disease medications taken immediately prior to infection were analysed. Results A total of 600 cases from 40 countries were included. Nearly half of the cases were hospitalised (277, 46%) and 55 (9%) died. In multivariable-adjusted models, prednisone dose ≥10 mg/day was associated with higher odds of hospitalisation (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.06 to 3.96). Use of conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) alone or in combination with biologics/Janus Kinase inhibitors was not associated with hospitalisation (OR 1.23, 95% CI 0.70 to 2.17 and OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.37 to 1.46, respectively). Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use was not associated with hospitalisation status (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.06). Tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (anti-TNF) use was associated with a reduced odds of hospitalisation (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.81), while no association with antimalarial use (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.57 to 1.57) was observed. Conclusions We found that glucocorticoid exposure of ≥10 mg/day is associated with a higher odds of hospitalisation and anti-TNF with a decreased odds of hospitalisation in patients with rheumatic disease. Neither exposure to DMARDs nor NSAIDs were associated with increased odds of hospitalisation.
883 citations
TL;DR: The survey investigated the patients’ health conditions, the presence of contacts with subjects known to be affected by COVID-19 and management of patients with chronic arthritis treated with biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs followed up at the biological outpatient clinic in Pavia, Lombardy.
Abstract: Different viral agents are associated with an increased risk of more severe disease course and respiratory complications in immunocompromised patients.1–3 The recent outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease 2019 (COVID-19) responsible for a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) represents a source of concern for the management of patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Lombardy is the region in Northern Italy with the highest incidence of COVID-19 cases, with more than 33 000 confirmed patients and 1250 requiring admission to the intensive care unit within 1 month. Since the first reports of COVID-19 cases in Italy, we have circulated a survey with a 2-week follow-up contact to patients with chronic arthritis treated with biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (tsDMARDs) followed up at our biological outpatient clinic in Pavia, Lombardy. The survey investigated the patients’ health conditions, the presence of contacts with subjects known to be affected by COVID-19 and management of …
404 citations
TL;DR: Patients in New York City with known immune-mediated inflammatory disease in whom Covid-19 developed while they were receiving treatment with the drug are described.
Abstract: Covid-19 in Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases The authors describe patients in New York City with known immune-mediated inflammatory disease in whom Covid-19 developed while they were receiving...
372 citations
"High rates of severe disease and de..." refers background in this paper
...However, given the small number of patients in these studies, very few have analyzed specific risk factors related to immunosuppressive therapies, and most of them have reported higher hospitalization rates for patients receiving chronic glucocorticoids compared to those not receiving them [4, 6, 8]....
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TL;DR: Patients with rheumatic disease and COVID-19 infection were more likely to require mechanical ventilation but had similar clinical features and hospitalisation rates as those without rhematic disease.
Abstract: Objective To investigate differences in manifestations and outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection between those with and without rheumatic disease. Methods We conducted a comparative cohort study of patients with rheumatic disease and COVID-19 (confirmed by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 PCR), compared in a 1:2 ratio with matched comparators on age, sex and date of COVID-19 diagnosis, between 1 March and 8 April 2020, at Partners HealthCare System in the greater Boston, Massachusetts area. We examined differences in demographics, clinical features and outcomes of COVID-19 infection. The main outcomes were hospitalisation, intensive care admission, mechanical ventilation and mortality. Results We identified 52 rheumatic disease patients with COVID-19 (mean age, 63 years; 69% female) and matched these to 104 non-rheumatic disease comparators. The majority (39, 75%) of patients with rheumatic disease were on immunosuppressive medications. Patients with and without rheumatic disease had similar symptoms and laboratory findings. A similar proportion of patients with and without rheumatic disease were hospitalised (23 (44%) vs 42 (40%)), p=0.50) but those with rheumatic disease required intensive care admission and mechanical ventilation more often (11 (48%) vs 7 (18%), multivariable OR 3.11 (95% CI 1.07 to 9.05)). Mortality was similar between the two groups (3 (6%) vs 4 (4%), p=0.69). Conclusions Patients with rheumatic disease and COVID-19 infection were more likely to require mechanical ventilation but had similar clinical features and hospitalisation rates as those without rheumatic disease. These findings have important implications for patients with rheumatic disease but require further validation.
226 citations
TL;DR: Adult and paediatric patients with rheumatic diseases on tDMARDs do not seem to present a higher risk of COVID-19 or a more severe disease outcome when compared to general population.
124 citations