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TUESDAY, June 23, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For patients with rheumatic disease with COVID-19, glucocorticoids are associated with increased odds of hospitalization, according to a study published in the July issue of the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Milena Gianfrancesco, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues examined demographic and clinical factors associated with COVID-19 hospitalization status in individuals with rheumatic disease using data from March 24 to April 20, 2020. Six hundred cases from 40 countries were included.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that 46 percent of cases were hospitalized and 9 percent died. Prednisone dose \u226510 mg\/day was associated with increased odds of hospitalization in multivariable adjusted models (odds ratio, 2.05; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 3.96). There was no association seen for use of conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs alone or in combination with biologics\/Janus Kinase inhibitors (odds ratios, 1.23 [95 percent CI, 0.70 to 2.17] and 0.74 [95 percent CI, 0.37 to 1.46], respectively). There was no association noted for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use with hospitalization status (odds ratio, 0.64; 95 percent CI, 0.39 to 1.06). Reduced odds of hospitalization were seen in association with tumor necrosis factor inhibitor use (odds ratio, 0.40; 95 percent CI, 0.19 to 0.81), while no link was seen with antimalarial use (odds ratio, 0.94; 95 percent CI, 0.57 to 1.57).<\/p>\n
“With additional cases, we will be able to examine more detailed outcomes associated with specific rheumatic diseases and COVID-19 treatments, as well as the outcomes of COVID-19 in people with rheumatic diseases,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n