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Abstract Number: 1469

Characteristics of Adult Patients with Rheumatic Diseases During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Data from an International Patient Survey

Jonathan Hausmann1, Kevin Kennedy2, Salman Surangiwala3, Maggie Larche4, Mitchell Levine2, Jean Liew5, Zachary Wallace6 and Emily Sirotich4, 1Boston Children's Hospital / Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Cambridge, MA, 2McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, 3Queen’s School of Medicine, Kingston, Canada, 4McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, 5University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 6Massachusetts General Hospital, Newton, MA

Meeting: ACR Convergence 2020

Keywords: COVID-19, Epidemiology, Infection, Patient reported outcomes

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Session Information

Date: Sunday, November 8, 2020

Title: Epidemiology & Public Health II: Risk Factors & Outcomes (1467–1471)

Session Type: Abstract Session

Session Time: 4:00PM-4:50PM

Background/Purpose: Patients with rheumatic diseases are at increased risk of infection due to immune dysregulation and the use of immunosuppression.  It is unknown whether they are also at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection or of COVID-19-related complications. Using real-world data from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance (C19-GRA) Patient Experience Survey, we describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of adult respondents and investigate risk factors related to COVID-19 infection.

Methods: We distributed a patient-reported outcomes survey for adults and parents of children with rheumatic diseases, regardless of COVID-19 status, to all six WHO regions and available in nine languages. The survey was disseminated through patient support organizations and on social media.  Patients answered questions regarding their demographics, rheumatic disease diagnosis, medications, as well as COVID-19 diagnosis and its complications.  We evaluate the demographics of adults within this study and describe the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 infection from April 3-May 8, 2020.

Results: A total of 9,393 adults completed the survey during the study period (Figure 1). Respondents represented all six WHO regions; most were female (90.0%) with a mean age of 46.1 (SD 12.8) (Table 1). Common diagnoses included rheumatoid arthritis (38.6%), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (30.7%), and Sjogren’s syndrome (13.7%). The majority of patients were taking conventional synthetic DMARDs (70.9%), while 34.7% and 30.8% were on steroids and biologic DMARDs, respectively. Comorbidities included pain syndromes (23.2%), hypertension (22.8%), and pulmonary diseases (21.4%).

Out of the patients surveyed, 519 (5.5%) endorsed having COVID-19 (Table 2). Frequently-reported COVID-19 symptoms included malaise/fatigue (87.1%), cough (78.6%), and headache (78.0%). Only 65 patients (12.5%) required hospitalization. When compared to the population without COVID-19, those with COVID-19 more often had diagnoses of SLE (38.3% vs. 30.2%, p< 0.001) and pulmonary comorbidities (36.0% vs. 20.5%, p< 0.001).

Conclusion: These results demonstrate the feasibility of conducting an international patient-reported outcomes survey to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among patients with rheumatic diseases. Only 5.5% of patients with rheumatic diseases developed COVID-19 and the majority did not require hospitalization, even though most were on immunosuppressive drugs. Patients with SLE and pulmonary comorbidities were overrepresented among those with COVID-19. Future subgroup analyses will explore the relationships between disease states and diagnosis of COVID-19.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and participating members of the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance and do not necessarily represent the views of the American College of Rheumatology, the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), or any other organization.

Figure 1. Survey respondents during the study period April 3 – May 8, 2020.

Table 1. Demographics and clinical characteristics of adults in the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance Patient Experience Survey (n=9,393).

Table 2. Symptoms and hospitalization status of adults with COVID-19 (n=519).


Disclosure: J. Hausmann, Novartis, 5; K. Kennedy, Lyceum Health, 5; S. Surangiwala, None; M. Larche, AbbVie, 5, Amgen, 5, Boehringer-Ingelheim, 5, BMS, 5, Celgene, 5, Janssen, 5, Mallinckrodt, 5, Novartis, 5, Pfizer, 5, Roche, 5, Sandoz, 5, UCB, 5; M. Levine, None; J. Liew, None; Z. Wallace, Bristol-Myers Squibb, 2; E. Sirotich, Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance, 9.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Hausmann J, Kennedy K, Surangiwala S, Larche M, Levine M, Liew J, Wallace Z, Sirotich E. Characteristics of Adult Patients with Rheumatic Diseases During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Data from an International Patient Survey [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2020; 72 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/characteristics-of-adult-patients-with-rheumatic-diseases-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-data-from-an-international-patient-survey/. Accessed .
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All abstracts accepted to ACR Convergence are under media embargo once the ACR has notified presenters of their abstract’s acceptance. They may be presented at other meetings or published as manuscripts after this time but should not be discussed in non-scholarly venues or outlets. The following embargo policies are strictly enforced by the ACR.

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