COVID-19

February 25, 2021

Some treatments for rheumatic diseases have shown promise for treating COVID-19, but many should be avoided in patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. How much do you know about the use of treatments for rheumatic diseases in patients with COVID-19? Take our quiz to find out.

February 18, 2021

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has published guidance regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination for patients with rheumatic diseases, with emphasis placed on prioritizing immunocompromised patients to receive the vaccine.

February 15, 2021

A study published in Osteoporosis International focused on the changes that have occurred over the course of the pandemic for patients with osteoporosis and found that there have been delays in dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning, problems with medication supply, a decrease in face-to-face consultations, and reductions in parenteral medication delivery.

February 03, 2021

Tocilizumab is an interleukin 6 (an inflammatory cytokine) inhibitor approved for treating a variety of rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. As studies have shown that an increased level of interleukin 6 directly correlates to poor COVID-19 outcomes, investigators speculated that blocking this activity could be a helpful tool in treating the virus and lessening its severity.

February 02, 2021

This week, we sat down for an interview with Alice Fike, MS, NP, from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), to discuss her study titled “Risk factors for COVID-19 and rheumatic disease flare in a US cohort of Latino patients.” The primary objective of this retrospective study was to understand why Latino patients were being disproportionately affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

February 01, 2021

The primary objective of this retrospective study was to understand why Latino patients were being disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Of the patients observed, 32 (18%) developed COVID-19 during the study period, meaning incidence rates were 5- to 11-fold higher than the general population (1,540 to 3,431/100,000).

January 29, 2021

This week, we sat down for an interview with April Jorge, MD, to discuss the findings of her study, “Temporal trends and severe COVID-19 outcomes in patients with rheumatic disease,” and what this may mean for patients with rheumatic disease moving forward in the pandemic.

January 26, 2021

A recent study published in The Journal of Rheumatology found no association between hydroxychloroquine therapy and heart failure in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other rheumatic diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematous (SLE).

January 20, 2021

Investigators found "improved outcomes for patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases after COVID-19 diagnosis in more recent months of the pandemic compared with earlier months, including lower risks of death, respiratory failure, and renal failure."

January 05, 2021

The US and the world must appreciate the role of the pharmaceutical industry—the investigators, physicians and business leaders—who are rescuing the world from COVID-19. It’s the medical breakthrough of our lifetime.

December 17, 2020

In this episode of Overdrive, the Rheumatology Network podcast, Dr. Kim Gorgens interviews Shereen Mahmood, MD, a rheumatologist with the Montefiore Medical Center in South Bronx, New York, to discuss her experience as a physician during the COVID-19 pandemic.

November 05, 2020

A survey of 9,004 patients with rheumatic disease―both autoimmune-related and non-autoimmune―shows that patients may need continued medication counseling through the duration of the pandemic, finds a study due to be presented on Friday at the American College of Rheumatology.

October 29, 2020

Although mortality rates for kidney transplant recipients with COVID-19 are known to be high, end stage kidney disease patients with COVID-19 appear to have a higher risk of mortality than patients with new kidneys.

September 28, 2020

Various drug therapies, including several cytokine blockers, are showing promise in addressing COVID-19 related cytokine storm syndrome, says Dr. Randall Cron of Children’s Hospital of Alabama.

September 01, 2020

Rheumatic disease patients have a unique set of concerns when it comes to COVID-19. To date, the evidence suggests, that for patients who have few, if any comorbidities, an infection may not be any worse than those in the general population. Learn more in this news roundup and slideshow.

August 27, 2020

Researchers in China write in the current issue of The Lancet Rheumatology that patients with autoimmune rheumatic disease might be more susceptible to COVID-19 infections than the general population.

August 27, 2020

A proportion of patients with COVID-19 are more prone to developing COVID-19-associated hyperinflammation regardless of age and comorbidity status, finds an observational study published on Friday in The Lancet Rheumatology.

August 25, 2020

A retrospective study published in The Lancet Rheumatology shows that the long-term use of hydroxychloroquine to treat rheumatoid arthritis patients may increase the risk of cardiovascular mortality.

August 13, 2020

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic early this year, there have been a number of studies published to test the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine as a possible treatment. In today’s edition of Overdrive, the podcast from Rheumatology Network, Dr. Daniel Solomon, editor-in-chief of Arthritis and Rheumatology, helps us make sense of the science.

August 07, 2020

In this week's news roundup and one-on-one interview, we talk with Dr. Daniel Solomon of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and editor-in-chief of the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology. Dr. Solomon and colleagues recently published a commentary called “The Infodemic of COVID-19” in which they break down the inundation of new science on hydroxychloroquine and the cytokine storm.