News Roundup: Coronavirus and Autoimmune Disease

March 6, 2020

Rheumatology Network Editorial Staff

What is the connection (if any) between coronavirus and autoimmune diseases? In this slideshow, we feature some points of view from rheumatology experts in the field, including Dr. Jean Liew of the University in Washington, Seattle, who told CreakyJoints that patients with inflammatory arthritis are probably more susceptible to the coronavirus and are at higher risk of complications like pneumonia.

What is the connection (if any) between coronavirus and autoimmune diseases?Â In this slideshow, we feature some points of view from rheumatology experts in the field, including Dr. Jean Liew of the University in Washington, Seattle, who spoke with CreakyJoints this week saying that patients with inflammatory arthritis are probably more susceptible to the coronavirus and are at higher risk of complications like pneumonia.RELATED:Â Â Coronavirus as Risk Factor for Rheumatoid Arthritis

News Roundup: Coronavirus and Autoimmune Disease

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In an interview with CreakyJoints this week, Dr. Jean Liew, M.D., a rheumatologist and senior fellow at the University in Washington, Seattle, said that patients with inflammatory arthritis are probably more susceptible to the coronavirus and are at higher risk of complications like pneumonia.

“In general, those on medications that suppress the immune system are going to be at heightened risk for infection, as well as getting more severe symptoms from infection if they do get it.” _{^{(©Rochu_2008,AdobeStock_318311382), (©Valentina, AdobeStock_296476467)}}

“The role of viruses in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory arthritides, such as rheumatoid arthritis, is increasingly being recognized. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites can all cause arthritis of either acute or chronic nature, which can be divided into infective/septic, reactive, or inflammatory. Considerable advances have occurred in diagnostic techniques in the recent decades resulting in better treatment outcomes in patients with infective arthritis. Detection of emerging arthritogenic viruses has changed the epidemiology of infection-related arthritis.”

â Jacob Mathew and Vinod Ravindran.

"Infections and Arthritis," Best Practice and Research Clinical Rheumatology. December 2014.

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There has been little research on the connection between respiratory viral infections and its influence on inactive or active rheumatoid arthritis, but it is of interest in rheumatoid arthritis since the disease can involve the oral mucosa and lungs.

â Joo, Y.B., Lim, Y., Kim, K. et al.
Respiratory viral infections and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, Arthritis Research and Therapy (2019)

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“Most prescription drugs used to treat inflammatory or autoimmune types of arthritis suppress the immune system, including methotrexate, corticosteroids and biologics, such as infliximab (Remicade), adalimumab (Humira), ixekizumab (Taltz) and ustekinumab (Stelara).”

â said Michael Minna, M.D., in an interview with the Arthritis Foundation. Dr. Minna is of Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and is a member of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics.

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Tocilizumab (Actemra, Roche) is being used in China to treat patients with severe lung damage and high levels of the cytokine IL-6 which is associated with chronic inflammatory diseases, according to Fierce Pharma. The drug is approved in the United States to treat rheumatoid arthritis, polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis.