1202 COVID-19 pandemic stressors and psychological distress symptoms in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

1202 Table 1Degree of Concerns related to COVID-19 Stressors for Patients with SLE or RACOVID-19 Stressors All Participantsn=97n (%) SLEn=55n (%) RAn=42n (%) Having loved ones who contracts coronavirus 40 (41.2) 28 (50.9) 12 (28.6) Possibility of contracting coronavirus 40 (41.2) 25 (45.5) 15 (35.7) Getting sick from exposure to coronavirus 31 (32) 22 (40) 9 (21.4) Working in a place likely to be exposed to the coronavirus. 26 (26.8) 17 (30.9) 9 (21.4) Possibility of condition worsening or being poorly managed due to changes in medical care 26 (26.8) 15 (27.3) 11 (26.2) Postponement or cancellation of diagnostic and disease monitoring tests 19 (19.6) 10 (18.2) 9 (21.4) Increased responsibilities at home 19 (19.6) 11 (20) 8 (19.0) Difficulty obtaining food, medicine and other essentials 16 (16.5) 9 (16.4) 7 (16.7) Changes in treatments due coronavirus pandemic 15 (15.5) 9 (16.4) 6 (14.3) Postponement or cancellation of medical visits 15 (15.5) 9 (16.4) 6 (14.3) Difficulty obtaining help or social support needed 12 (12.4) 8 (14.5) 4 (9.5) Losing a job or experiencing a drop in income related to the coronavirus pandemic 10 (10.3) 5 (9.1) 5 (11.9) Responses rated on a scale of 0 “not at all” to 4 “extremely” concerned or worried. Responses dichotomized such that a threshold of 2 or higher represent greater concern/worry.ConclusionsStressors related to the COVID-19 pandemic are experienced by an important proportion of patients with SLE and RA and are associated with psychological symptoms, particularly for patients with SLE.