In The Bronx, Dr. Wahezi and her colleagues noted high levels of anxiety among families and providers. Nevertheless, many pediatric patients with rheumatic disease were not adversely affected by the pandemic. She sees addressing the fear and anxiety surrounding the pandemic as one of the main goals for the clinical guidance. In writing the guidance, she says, “We really wanted to drive home the message that controlling patients’ underlying disease is the most important goal, both to prevent long-term consequences related to their rheumatic disease and for reducing chances of infection.”
Gretchen Henkel is a health and medical journalist based in California.
