COVID-19 admissions and mortality in patients with early inflammatory arthritis: results from a UK national cohort
Authors' conclusion
Patient characteristics have stronger associations with COVID-19 than the initial treatment strategy in patients with EIA.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with early inflammatory arthritis (EIA) recruited to the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit (NEIAA), UK, Feb 2020 to May 2021
- Participants
- 14,127 adults
- Exposure
- Risk factors and initial treatment strategy for COVID-19 hospitalisation and death
- Outcome
- Hospitalisation and death due to COVID-19
Methodological detailsobservational cohort, national audit (NEIAA), NHS Digital linkage, Cox proportional hazards, adjusted for confounders
- Observational cohort
- National audit (NEIAA)
- NHS Digital linkage
- Cox proportional hazards, adjusted for confounders
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Hospitalisations due to COVID-19
143
Deaths due to COVID-19
47
Incidence rate per 100 person-years, hospitalisation
0.93
95% CI 0.79, 1.10
Incidence rate per 100 person-years, death
0.30
95% CI 0.23, 0.40
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Higher baseline DAS28 and COVID-19 admission
| aHR (95% CI) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Higher baseline DAS28Confounder adjusted; not associated | 1.10 (0.97–1.24) | |
| 0.512Adjusted hazard ratio (log scale) |
Higher baseline DAS28 and COVID-19 mortality
| aHR (95% CI) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Higher baseline DAS28Confounder adjusted; not associated | 1.11 (0.90–1.37) | |
| 0.512Adjusted hazard ratio (log scale) |
Corticosteroids (CS) and COVID-19 death
| HR (95% CI) | ||
|---|---|---|
| CSUnadjusted; not statistically significant in adjusted models | 2.29 (1.02–5.13) | |
| 0.20.5125Hazard ratio (log scale) |
SSZ monotherapy and COVID-19 admission
| HR (95% CI) | ||
|---|---|---|
| SSZ monotherapyUnadjusted; not statistically significant in adjusted models | 1.92 (1.04–3.56) | |
| 0.20.5125Hazard ratio (log scale) |
Patient characteristics and worse COVID-19 outcomes
- Increasing age, male gender, comorbidities and ex-smoking associated with increased risk of worse COVID-19 outcomes
- Seropositivity not associated with either outcome
- Higher symptom burden on patient-reported measures predicted worse COVID-19 outcomes
Original publication
COVID-19 admissions and mortality in patients with early inflammatory arthritis: results from a UK national cohort. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 16 January 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →