Factors associated with freqeuncy and severity of COVID-19 in patients with axial spondyloarthritis

Purpose: The severe course of COVID-19 in individuals with chronic diseases has led to concerns in the management of rheumatic diseases during the pandemic therefore we aimed to define the factors associated with the frequency and severity of COVID-19 in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpa) in this study. Materials-Methods: Patients with axSpa who were followed up in three tertiary hospitals and used their treatment regularly for at least six months were included. We assessed the relationship between axSpa associated variables such as disease duration time, radiological severity, treatment and COVID-19 outcomes. Results: A total of 833 patients with a mean disease duration of 109 months were analyzed; 64.5% had ankylosing spondylitis, 35.5% had non-radiographic axSpa diagnosis, and 59.4% of patients were treated with biologic agent . The frequency of COVID-19 was 23% (n: 192); only five pateints (0.5%) had a history of intensive care unit. Advanced age, hypertension (HT), and diabetes mellitus (DM) were found to be significantly more common in those with involvement in high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) (p:0.02, p:0.01, and p