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Volume 34, Issue 4, December 2023



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Mediterr J Rheumatol 2022;33(1):68-74
Anti-Rheumatic Drugs May Ameliorate the Clinical Course and Outcome of COVID-19 In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
Authors Information

Rheumatology Clinic, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece

E Pelechas, V Drossou, PV Voulgari, AA Drosos

Abstract

Current data demonstrated that in patients with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), there is a dysregulation of the immune system during the severe form of the disease. This dysregulation is expressed with an uncontrolled release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, IL-17, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFa) and chemokines, associated with increased serum ferritin levels and other acute phase reactants. On the other side, these cytokines play a pivotal role in autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD), mostly in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the spondyloarthropathies. Patients affected with ARD represent a particular vulnerable group, considering that they may be in an immunocompromised status due to their ailment and its treatment on one side, but on the other side, they may be protected from their immunosuppressive therapy. To this end, we present five patients with RA treated with conventional synthetic (cs) disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biologic (b) DMARDs who were affected from COVID-19 and we will try to give answers to the above hypothesis.


Cite this article as: Pelechas E, Drossou V, Voulgari PVV, Drosos AA. Anti-Rheumatic Drugs May Ameliorate the Clinical Course and Outcome of COVID-19 In Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients. Mediterr J Rheumatol 2022;33(1):68-74.

Article Submitted: 7 Mar 2021; Revised Form: 11 Oct 2021; Article Accepted: 20 Oct 2021; Available Online: 31 Mar 2022

https://doi.org/10.31138/mjr.33.1.68

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

©Pelechas E, Drossou V, Voulgari PVV, Drosos AA.