Huang et al., Clinical characteristics of 17 patients with COVID-19 and systemic autoimmune diseases: a retrospective study, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2020:79, 1163-1169, doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-217425
Analysis of 1255 COVID-19 patients in Wuhan Tongji Hospital finding 0.61% with systemic autoimmune diseases, much lower than authors expected (3%-10%). Authors hypothesise that protective factors, such as CQ/HCQ use, reduce hospitalization.
This study is excluded in the after exclusion results of meta
analysis:
significant unadjusted confounding possible.
Abstract: Epidemiology
Clinical characteristics of 17 patients with COVID-19
and systemic autoimmune diseases: a
retrospective study
Yao Huang,1 Zhe Chen,2 Yu Wang,2 Liang Han,1 Kai Qin ,2 Wenya Huang,2
Ying Huang,2 Hui Wang ,1 Pan Shen,1 Xin Ba,1 Weiji Lin,1 Hui Dong,2
Mingmin Zhang,2 Shenghao Tu 2
Handling editor Josef S
Smolen
►► Additional material is
published online only. To view
please visit the journal online
(http://d x.doi.o rg/10.1136/
annrheumdis-2020-217425).
1
Institute of Integrated
Traditional Chinese and Western
Medicine, Tongji Hospital of
Tongji Medical College of
Huazhong University of Science
and Technology, Wuhan, China
2
Department of Integrated
Traditional Chinese and Western
Medicine, Tongji Hospital of
Tongji Medical College of
Huazhong University of Science
and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei,
China
Correspondence to
Professor Shenghao Tu,
Department of Integrated
Traditional Chinese and Western
Medicine, Tongji Hospital, TongJi
Medical College, Huazhong
University of Science and
Technology, Wuhan, China;
shtu@tjh.t jmu.edu.cn
YH and ZC contributed equally.
Received 26 March 2020
Revised 23 May 2020
Accepted 25 May 2020
Published Online First
16 June 2020
Abstract
Objectives Increasing data about COVID-19 have been
acquired from the general population. We aim to further
evaluate the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in
patients with systemic autoimmune diseases (AIDs).
Methods We included all confirmed inpatients with
COVID-19 and systemic AIDs in Wuhan Tongji Hospital
from 29 January to 8 March 2020. We retrospectively
collected and analysed information on epidemiology of
1255 inpatients and additional clinical characteristics of
patients with systemic AIDs. Outcomes were followed up
until 16 April 2020.
Results Of the 1255 patients with COVID-19, the
median age was 64.0 years and 53.1% were male.
More than half (63.0%) had chronic comorbidities.
The proportions of elderly, male and patients with
comorbidities were significantly higher in intensive
care unit (ICU) than in the general ward (p<0.001).
17 (0.61%) patients with systemic AIDs were further
screened and analysed from 2804 inpatients. The median
age was 64.0 years and 82.4% were female. All patients
were living in Wuhan and two family clusters were found.
1 (5.9%) patient was admitted to ICU and one died. 10
(62.5%) of 16 patients changed or stopped their anti-
AIDs treatments during hospitalisation, and 5 of them
felt that the disease had worsened after the quarantine.
Conclusions Older males with chronic comorbidities
are more vulnerable to severe COVID-19. The lower
proportion of COVID-19 in patients with systemic AIDs
needs more high-quality human clinical trials and in-
depth mechanism researches. Of note, the withdrawal of
anti-AIDs treatments during hospitalisation can lead to
flares of diseases.
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