POS1225 INFLUENCE OF COLCHICINE PRESCRIPTION IN COVID19-RELATED HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS: A SURVIVAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), triggers the innate immune system, leading in severe cases, an excessive immune response, which can lead to high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines promoting a "cytokine storm". To modulate this exaggerated inflammatory response, several clinical trials with already approved and well-known therapeutic agents that inhibit the inflammatory response, are being carried out. However, none of these drugs seems to achieve the desired results when treating COVID19. Colchicine, a drug often used in the management of patients with Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), is one of the several drugs that are being currently tested for efficacy in COVID19 due to its anti-inflammatory effects. Objective(s): To analyze association between colchicine prescription and COVID19-related hospital admissions in patients with Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs). Method(s): Patients attending a rheumatology outpatient clinic from a tertiary care center in Madrid, Spain, from 1st September 2019 to 29th February 2020 were included. Patients were assigned as exposed or unexposed based on whether they were prescribed with colchicine in their last visit to the clinic during the 6 months before the start of the observation period. Treatment changes during the observation period were also considered. The primary outcome was COVID19-related hospital admissions occurring between March 1st and May 20th, 2020. Secondary outcome included COVID19-related mortality. Several weighting techniques for data balancing, based and non-based on the propensity score, followed by Cox regressions were performed to estimate the association of colchicine prescription on both outcomes. Result(s): 9,379 patients entered in the study, with 406 and 9,002 exposed and unexposed follow-up periods, respectively. Generalized Boosted Models (GBM) and Empirical Balancing Calibration Weighting (EBCW) methods showed the best balance for COVID19-related hospital admissions. Colchicine prescription did not show a statistically significant association after covariable balancing (p-value = 0.195 and 0.059 for GBM and EBCW, respectively). Regarding mortality, the low number of events prevented a success variable balancing and analysis. Conclusion(s): Colchicine prescription does not play a significant protective or risk role in RMD patients regarding COVID19-related hospital admissions. Our observations could support the maintenance of colchicine prescription in those patients already being treated, as it is not associated with a worse prognosis.