COVID-19 positivity was a risk factor for rheumatic disease flare (OR 4.57 [95% CI 1.2–17.4]).
None of the immunomodulatory therapies demonstrated any statistically significant effect on susceptibility to or protection against COVID-19, but the study sample size limited the ability to detect associations with individual medications.
Conclusion
These findings indicate that Latino patients with rheumatic diseases have a higher rate of COVID-19 than the general Latino population. Obesity is a risk factor for COVID-19, and COVID-19 is a risk factor for rheumatic disease flare. While this was a retrospective, observational study from a single site, rheumatologists should closely follow Latino patients with risk factors post–COVID-19 in anticipation of disease flare.
Refer to the full study for all source material.
Excerpted and adapted from: Fike A, Hartman J, Redmond C, et al. Risk factors for COVID-19 and rheumatic disease flare in a US cohort of Latino patients. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2021 Jul;73(7):1129–1134
