Prevalence and death rate of COVID-19 in systemic autoimmune diseases in the first three pandemic waves. Relationship to disease subgroups and ongoing therapies

Objective: Autoimmune systemic diseases (ASD) represent a predisposing condition to COVID-19. Our prospective, observational multicenter telephone survey study aimed to investigate the prevalence, prognostic factors, and outcomes of COVID-19 in Italian ASD patients. Methods: The study included 3,918 ASD pts (815 M, 3103 F; mean age 59 +/- 12SD years) consecutively recruited between March 2020 and May 2021 at the 36 referral centers of COVID-19 and ASD Italian Study Group. The possible development of COVID-19 was recorded by means of a telephone survey using a standardized symptom assessment questionnaire. Results: ASD patients showed a significantly higher prevalence of COVID-19 (8.37% vs. 6.49%; p<0.0001) but a death rate statistically comparable to the Italian general population (3.65% vs. 2.95%). Among the 328 ASD patients developing COVID-19, 17% needed hospitalization, while mild-moderate manifestations were observed in 83% of cases. Moreover, 12/57 hospitalized patients died due to severe interstitial pneumonia and/or cardiovascular events; systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients showed a significantly higher COVID-19-related death rate compared to the general population (6.29% vs. 2.95%; p=0.018). Major adverse prognostic factors to develop COVID-19 were: older age, male gender, SSc, pre-existing ASD-related interstitial lung involvement, and long-term steroid treatment. Of note, patients treated with conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) showed a significantly lower prevalence of COVID-19 compared to those without (3.58% vs. 46.99%; p=0.000), as well as the SSc patients treated with low dose aspirin (with 5.57% vs. without 27.84%; p=0.000). Conclusion: During the first three pandemic waves, ASD patients showed a death rate comparable to the general population despite the significantly higher prevalence of COVID-19. A significantly increased COVID-19-related mortality was recorded in only SSc patients' subgroup, possibly favored by preexisting lung fibrosis. Moreover, ongoing long-term treatment with csDMARDs in ASD might usefully contribute to the generally positive outcomes of this frail patients' population

Prevalence and death rate of COVID-19 in systemic autoimmune diseases in the first three pandemic waves. Relationship to disease subgroups and ongoing therapies

none84noAutoimmune systemic diseases (ASD) represent a predisposing condition to COVID-19. Our prospective, observational multicenter telephone survey study aimed to investigate the prevalence, prognostic factors, and outcomes of COVID-19 in Italian ASD patients.Ferri, Clodoveo; Raimondo, Vincenzo; Gragnani, Laura; Giuggioli, Dilia; Dagna, Lorenzo; Tavoni, Antonio; Ursini, Francesco; L'Andolina, Massimo; Caso, Francesco; Ruscitti, Piero; Caminiti, Maurizio; Foti, Rosario; Riccieri, Valeria; Guiducci, Serena; Pellegrini, Roberta; Zanatta, Elisabetta; Varcasia, Giuseppe; Olivo, Domenico; Gigliotti, Pietro; Cuomo, Giovanna; Murdaca, Giuseppe; Cecchetti, Riccardo; De Angelis, Rossella; Romeo, Nicoletta; Ingegnoli, Francesca; Cozzi, Franco; Codullo, Veronica; Cavazzana, Ilaria; Colaci, Michele; Abignano, Giuseppina; De Santis, Maria; Lubrano, Ennio; Fusaro, Enrico; Spinella, Amelia; Lumetti, Federica; De Luca, Giacomo; Bellando-Randone, Silvia; Visalli, Elisa; Bosco, Ylenia Dal; Amato, Giorgio; Giannini, Daiana; Bilia, Silvia; Masini, Francesco; Pellegrino, Greta; Pigatto, Erika; Generali, Elena; Mariano, Giuseppa Pagano; Pettiti, Giorgio; Zanframundo, Giovanni; Brittelli, Raffaele; Aiello, Vincenzo; Caminiti, Rodolfo; Scorpiniti, Daniela; Ferrari, Tommaso; Campochiaro, Corrado; Brusi, Veronica; Fredi, Micaela; Moschetti, Liala; Cacciapaglia, Fabio; Paparo, Sabrina Rosaria; Ragusa, Francesca; Mazzi, Valeria; Elia, Giusy; Ferrari, Silvia Martina; Di Cola, Ilenia; Vadacca, Marta; Lorusso, Sebastiano; Monti, Monica; Lorini, Serena; Aprile, Maria Letizia; Tasso, Marco; Miccoli, Mario; Bosello, Silvia; D'Angelo, Salvatore; Doria, Andrea; Franceschini, Franco; Meliconi, Riccardo; Matucci-Cerinic, Marco; Iannone, Florenzo; Giacomelli, Roberto; Salvarani, Carlo; Zignego, Anna Linda; Fallahi, Poupak; Antonelli, AlessandroFerri, Clodoveo; Raimondo, Vincenzo; Gragnani, Laura; Giuggioli, Dilia; Dagna, Lorenzo; Tavoni, Antonio; Ursini, Francesco; L'Andolina, Massimo; Caso, Francesco; Ruscitti, Piero; Caminiti, Maurizio; Foti, Rosario; Riccieri, Valeria; Guiducci, Serena; Pellegrini, Roberta; Zanatta, Elisabetta; Varcasia, Giuseppe; Olivo, Domenico; Gigliotti, Pietro; Cuomo, Giovanna; Murdaca, Giuseppe; Cecchetti, Riccardo; De Angelis, Rossella; Romeo, Nicoletta; Ingegnoli, Francesca; Cozzi, Franco; Codullo, Veronica; Cavazzana, Ilaria; Colaci, Michele; Abignano, Giuseppina; De Santis, Maria; Lubrano, Ennio; Fusaro, Enrico; Spinella, Amelia; Lumetti, Federica; De Luca, Giacomo; Bellando-Randone, Silvia; Visalli, Elisa; Bosco, Ylenia Dal; Amato, Giorgio; Giannini, Daiana; Bilia, Silvia; Masini, Francesco; Pellegrino, Greta; Pigatto, Erika; Generali, Elena; Mariano, Giuseppa Pagano; Pettiti, Giorgio; Zanframundo, Giovanni; Brittelli, Raffaele; Aiello, Vincenzo; Caminiti, Rodolfo; Scorpiniti, Daniela; Ferrari, Tommaso; Campochiaro, Corrado; Brusi, Veronica; Fredi, Micaela; Moschetti, Liala; Cacciapaglia, Fabio; Paparo, Sabrina Rosaria; Ragusa, Francesca; Mazzi, Valeria; Elia, Giusy; Ferrari, Silvia Martina; Di Cola, Ilenia; Vadacca, Marta; Lorusso, Sebastiano; Monti, Monica; Lorini, Serena; Aprile, Maria Letizia; Tasso, Marco; Miccoli, Mario; Bosello, Silvia; D'Angelo, Salvatore; Doria, Andrea; Franceschini, Franco; Meliconi, Riccardo; Matucci-Cerinic, Marco; Iannone, Florenzo; Giacomelli, Roberto; Salvarani, Carlo; Zignego, Anna Linda; Fallahi, Poupak; Antonelli, Alessandr