Epidemiological characteristics and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with rheumatic diseases: first report from the Argentine SAR-COVID registry

Abstract

In order to assess the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with rheumatic diseases, the Argentine Society of Rheumatology has developed the National Registry of Patients with Rheumatic Diseases and COVID-19 (SAR-COVID). The aim of this study was to evaluate the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients with rheumatic diseases and SARS-CoV-2 infection included in the SAR-COVID registry and to describe the complications and outcomes of COVID-19 in this population. Methods: SAR-COVID is a national, multicenter and observational registry, in which patients ≥18 years of age, with a diagnosis of a rheumatic disease who had SARS-CoV-2 infection are consecutively included. Sociodemographic data, comorbidities, underlying rheumatic disease and treatment, clinical characteristics, complications, laboratory and treatment of the SARS-CoV-2 infection were recorded. Results: a total of 525 patients were included, with a mean age of 51.3 years (SD 15.2). The most frequent rheumatic diseases were rheumatoid arthritis (40.4%), systemic lupus erythematous (14.9%) and spondyloarthritis (8.2%). At the time of the infection, 72.9% were receiving immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory treatment and 36.9% glucocorticoids. Most of the patients were diagnosed using RT-PCR (95%), at outpatient consultation (39.4%), at the emergency room (32.2%) or during hospitalization (14.7%). Symptoms were present in 96% of the patients, the most frequent being fever (56.2%), cough (46.7%) and headache (39.2%). During infection, 35.1% were hospitalized, 11.6% were admitted to the ICU and 6.9% died due to COVID-19. Most of them (75.1%) recovered completely. Conclusions: in this first report of the SAR-COVID registry we found a wide distribution of rheumatic diseases. Most of the patients had a good evolution of the infection, however 7% died as a result of it, comparable to other Latin American registries with similar populations.