COVID-19 Ills No Higher for These With Lupus, RA

FRIDAY, Sept. 4, 2020 (HealthDay Information) — Individuals with lupus aren’t at elevated danger of hospitalization from COVID-19 on account of steroidal drugs they take to cut back immune system exercise, a brand new examine finds.

And a associated examine discovered that individuals with inflammatory types of arthritis — similar to rheumatoid arthritis — aren’t extra prone to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than folks with out arthritis.

Each research had been led by researchers at NYU Grossman College of Medication, in New York Metropolis.

The findings “ought to reassure most sufferers, particularly these on immunosuppressant remedy, that they’re at no better danger of getting to be admitted to hospital from COVID-19 than different lupus or arthritis sufferers,” Dr. Ruth Fernandez-Ruiz, co-author of the research, stated in an NYU Langone information launch.

“Individuals with lupus or inflammatory arthritis have the identical danger elements for getting severely unwell from COVID-19 as folks with out these problems,” stated Fernandez-Ruiz, a postdoctoral fellow in rheumatology.

Lupus and situations like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and spondyloarthritis are autoimmune illnesses during which the immune system mistakenly assaults an individual’s personal tissues. This causes inflammation within the joints, pores and skin, kidneys and different components of the physique.

The researchers discovered that lupus sufferers taking immune-suppressing drugs — similar to mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept) and azathioprine (Imuran) — had no better danger of hospitalization (15 out of 24) than lupus sufferers not utilizing the drugs (9 of 17).

As well as, the COVID-19 hospitalization fee for folks with inflammatory arthritis (26%) was much like that of New York Metropolis residents general (25%).

One other discovering was that sufferers taking biologic medicine for arthritis, similar to adalimumab (Humira) and etanercept (Enbrel), or the antiviral hydroxychloroquine, had no better or decrease danger of COVID-19 hospitalization than these not taking the medicine.

However sufferers who took steroids known as glucocorticoids, even in gentle doses, had a ten occasions increased danger of COVID-19 hospitalization than those that did not take steroids. Though the discovering is statistically important, the examine’s small measurement might overestimate the precise danger, the researchers famous.

The research had been not too long ago printed on-line within the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology.