The pandemic caused by the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-19, has severely affected health care systems around the world. In Denmark, more than 85,000 patients have a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or giant cell arthritis, and many are treated with immunosuppressive therapy including biologics.~At present it is unclear whether the best course of action during a viral pandemic is to pause treatment with biologics, change to drugs with a different mode of action or continue treatment as usual.~Many patients with RA and SLE receive hydroxychloroquine (HCL) treatment for their rheumatic disease, but HCL has also been suggested as a potential treatment for COVID-19 infection.~This trial aim to identify risk factors for serious COVID-19 infection by evaluating clinical measures and biomarkers of inflammation, including IL6 and IL10 in patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease hospitalized with COVID-19 compared with measures in control groups.
The trial is a prospective, observational study aiming to identify risk factors for serious COVID-19 infection by evaluating clinical measures and biomarkers of inflammation in patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease hospitalized with COVID-19 compared with control groups.