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Background: We aimed to investigate coronavirus diease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes in patients with amyloid A protein (AA) amyloidosis secondary to rheumatic diseases and discuss factors associated with disease course. Methods: A retrospective cohort was formed from adult patients with a diagnosis of AA amyloidosis. In patients with a positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, rates of hospitalization, intensive care unit admission and mortality due to COVID-19 were collected from medical records. Data regarding to demographics, comorbidities, laboratory tests, medical treatments, adherence to previous treatments during COVID-19 and treatment administered for COVID-19 were collected from hospital databases and patient reviews. Results: In 96 patients with AA amyloidosis, 16 had COVID-19 with a positive PCR. Ten (62.5%) patients were hospitalized, 2 (12.5%) were admitted to ICU, 1 (6.25%) was died. Hospitalized patients tended to be older. Comorbidities seemed to be more frequent in hospitalized patients. None of the patients had rapid progression to end-stage renal disease post-COVID-19. Seven patients had pre-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 proteinuria levels. Three had notable increase in proteinuria after COVID-19 in 2 of which amyloidosis treatment was revised accordingly. Conclusion: Despite high rates of hospitalization in AA amyloidosis patients, mortality was observed only in 1 patient. Progression of proteinuria requiring treatment adjustment may be an issue in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Rituximab, which is used in autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD), can cause both an increased risk of development of COVID‐19 disease and re‐infection due to its potent and long‐acting immunosuppression. So, we aimed to evaluate the frequency, risk factors and re‐infection rates of COVID‐19 in ARD patients receiving rituximab. Methods: A single‐center retrospective study was performed with patients receiving rituximab for ARD in 12 months before the onset of COVID‐19 in Turkey. The data regarding severe acute respiratory syndrome‐coronavirus 2 reverse transcription polymerized chain reaction (RT‐PCR) test, clinical, laboratory, and mortality data of all patients were collected from medical records. Logistic regression analysis was used for predictors of COVID‐19 disease. COVID‐19 re‐infection was defined as RT‐PCR positivity and recurrence of acute COVID‐19 symptoms after at least 1 negative RT‐PCR in patients with clinical improvement. Results: Ninety‐eight ARD patients with rituximab were evaluated and 23 (23%) of them had COVID‐19. The presence of hypogammaglobulinemia increased the risk of COVID‐19 disease 8‐fold. COVID‐19 pneumonia occurred in 13 (57%) and these patients' age was higher than those without pneumonia (59.6 ± 11.8 vs 44.9 ± 14.2 years, P = 0.013). Mortality due to COVID‐19 was 13% and COVID‐19 re‐infection was seen in 20% of survivors. Conclusion: Regardless of the underlying rheumatic disease and organ involvements, hypogammaglobulinemia in ARD could be a risk factor for COVID‐19 development, and advanced age could be for COVID‐19 severity. Moreover, COVID‐19 re‐infection rates are high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Rheumatological disease flares may occur after many infections. However, our knowledge of the post-Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) flares and related factors is limited. Methods: We retrospectively assessed the axial SpA patients who had COVID-19. Demographic and clinical data were collected from the medical records. The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) was applied via telephone for pre- and post-COVID-19 SpA symptoms. An increase of ≥2 points in the BASDAI score or any new extra-articular manifestations were defined as SpA flares and SpA patients were grouped as flares and noflare. Factors predicting SpA flare were also analyzed. Results: A total of 48 axial SpA patients were included in the study [age, mean±standard deviation (SD): 42.3±8.6 years; male: 65%]. Post-COVID-19 SpA flare was identified in 19 patients (40%), and new extra-articular manifestations were recorded in 6 patients (13%). Although the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease was more common in the flare group, the difference was not significant compared with that of the no-flare group. Other features of SpA and COVID-19 disease severity were similar between the flare and no-flare groups. In the flare group, the frequency of back pain (84% vs. 62%, p=0.091) and diarrhea (53% vs. 28%, p=0.080), and headache (84% vs. 52%, p=0.021) were higher than the no-flare group. No risk factor for a post-COVID-19 SpA flare could be identified. Conclusions: Post-COVID-19 flare was common in the axial SpA, and even new extra-articular manifestations could be reported. Although some clinical manifestations of COVID-19 were more common in patients with a flare, any predictive factor could not be identified among the study variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: Coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a pandemic infectious disease that causes morbidity and mortality. As a result of high mortality rate among the severe COVID-19 patients, the early detection of the disease stage and early effective interventions are very important in reducing mortality. Hence, it is important to differentiate severe and nonsevere cases from each other. To date, there are no proven diagnostic or prognostic parameters that can be used in this manner. Due to the expensive and not easily accessible tests that are performed for COVID-19, researchers are investigating some parameters that can be easily used. In some recent studies, hematological parameters have been evaluated to see if they can be used as predictive parameters. Materials and methods: In the current study, almost all hematological parameters were used, including the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, platelet/lymphocyte ratio, monocyte/lymphocyte ratio, mean platelet volume to lymphocyte ratio, mean platelet volume to platelet ratio, plateletcrit, and D-dimer/fibrinogen ratio, neutrophil/lymphocyte/platelet scoring system, and systemic immune-inflammation index. A total of 750 patients, who were admitted to Ankara City Hospital due to COVID-19, were evaluated in this study. The patients were classified into 2 groups according to their diagnosis (confirmed or probable) and into 2 groups according to the stage of the disease (nonsevere or severe). Results: The values of the combinations of inflammatory markers and other hematological parameters in all of the patients with severe COVID-19 were calculated, and the predicted values of these parameters were compared. According to results of the study, nearly all of the hematological parameters could be used as potential diagnostic biomarkers for subsequent analysis, because the area under the curve (AUC) was higher than 0.50, especially for the DFR and NLR, which had the highest AUC among the parameters. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that, the parameters those enhanced from complete blood count, which is a simple laboratory test, can help to identify and classify COVID-19 patients into non-severe to severe groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute lupus pneumonitis (ALP) is a rare first-presenting manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The characteristic symptoms are rapid onset of fever, cough (sometimes with hemoptysis), and dyspnea. ALP may progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and it is a potentially fatal disease unless treated. Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has overlaps with ALP in terms of clinical presentation, and laboratory and radiological findings. This report describes a case of a young female patient presenting with ARDS during the pandemic of COVID-19. She had pancytopenia, elevated CRP, ferritin, and liver indices resembling macrophage activation syndrome. She also had hepatosplenomegaly, a small spleen infarct, adenopathy, minimal pleural, and pericardial effusion. After excluding COVID-19 by PCR and antibody tests, and other infections by cultures, with the help of antinuclear antibody and anti–double-stranded DNA, SLE and ALP were diagnosed, and she was treated with high-dose steroid and intravenous immunoglobulin. In conclusion, if patients presenting with pneumonia or ARDS have one or more of the findings of arthritis, serositis, rash, oral/nasopharyngeal ulcerations, cytopenias, and renal or neurologic disorder, SLE and ALP should be considered in differential diagnoses. Because of the high mortality rate of ALP reaching up to 50%, early diagnosis and immunosuppressive therapy are of vital importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: To evaluate treatment adherence and predictors of drug discontinuation among patients with inflammatory arthritis receiving bDMARDs within the first 100 days after the announcement of the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: A total of 1871 patients recorded in TReasure registry for whom advanced therapy was prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or spondyloarthritis (SpA) within the 3 months (6–9 months for rituximab) before the declaration of COVID-19 pandemic were evaluated, and 1394 (74.5%) responded to the phone survey. Patients’ data regarding demographic, clinical characteristics and disease activity before the pandemic were recorded. The patients were inquired about the diagnosis of COVID-19, the rate of continuation on bDMARDs, the reasons for treatment discontinuation, if any, and the current general disease activity (visual analog scale, [VAS]). Results: A total of 1394 patients (493 RA [47.3% on anti-TNF] patients and 901 SpA [90.0% on anti-TNF] patients) were included in the study. Overall, 2.8% of the patients had symptoms suggesting COVID-19, and 2 (0.15%) patients had PCR-confirmed COVID-19. Overall, 18.1% of all patients (13.8% of the RA and 20.5% of the SpA; p = 0.003) discontinued their bDMARDs. In the SpA group, the patients who discontinued bDMARDs were younger (40 [21–73] vs. 44 years [20–79]; p = 0.005) and had higher general disease activity; however, no difference was relevant for RA patients. Conclusion: Although the COVID-19 was quite uncommon in the first 100 days of the pandemic, nearly one-fifth of the patients discontinued bDMARDs within this period. The long-term effects of the pandemic should be monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]