COVID-19 and autoimmune rheumatic diseases

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic since it rapidly spread worldwide. COVID-19 has various manifestations, ranging from asymptomatic to life-threatening conditions. During the pandemic, patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD) were included in the population at risk. In addition, the use of immunosuppressants or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) was considered to increase the susceptibility to infection. Studies have reported that COVID-19 and ARD have similarities in their clinical findings and immune responses. This study aims to understand the profile of patients with ARD infected with COVID-19 at Dr. Soetomo Hospital in 2020–2022. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study using the medical records of ARD patients was carried out in the rheumatology outpatient clinic at Dr. Soetomo Hospital, Surabaya. Results: This study included 200 patients. Of these, 49 (24.5 %) were infected with COVID-19. The study population was predominantly female (93.9 %), with a mean age of 43±14.3 years old. Methylprednisolone was the most frequent medication used. A total of 63.2 % of the samples had asymptomatic–mild COVID-19 conditions, while the others had moderate–severe COVID-19 conditions. There were 14 cases (28.6 %) that developed ARD post-COVID-19 infection. Conclusion: The proportion of COVID-19 among ARD patients was 24.5 %.