Interim analysis of a multicenter registry study of COVID-19 patients with inflammatory bowel disease in Japan (J-COSMOS)

Background

The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had a major impact on the health of people worldwide. The clinical background and clinical course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) among Japanese patients with COVID-19 remains unclear.

Methods

This study is an observational cohort of Japanese IBD patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Data on age, sex, IBD (classification, treatment, and activity), COVID-19 symptoms and severity, and treatment of COVID-19 were analyzed.

Results

From 72 participating facilities in Japan, 187 patients were registered from June 2020 to October 2021. The estimated incidence of COVID19 in Japanese IBD patients was 0.61%. The majority of IBD patients with COVID-19 (73%) were in clinical remission. According to the WHO classification regarding COVID-19 severity, 93% (172/184) of IBD patients had non-severe episodes, while 7% (12/184) were severe cases including serious conditions. 90.9% (165/187) of IBD patients with COVID-19 had no change in IBD disease activity. A logistic regression analysis stepwise method revealed that older age, higher body mass index (BMI), and steroid use were independent risk factors for COVID-19 severity. Six of nine patients who had COVID-19 after vaccination were receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α antibodies.

Conclusion

Age, BMI and steroid use were associated with COVID-19 severity in Japanese IBD patients.

     

Outcomes of patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit in Mexico: A multicenter observational study

BackgroundAs of June 15, 2020, a cumulative total of 7,823,289 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported across 216 countries and territories worldwide. However, there is little information on the clinical characteristics and outcomes of critically ill patients with severe COVID-19 who were admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in Latin America. The present study evaluated the clinical characteristics and outcomes of critically ill patients with severe COVID-19 who were admitted to ICUs in Mexico.MethodsThis was a multicenter observational study that included 164 critically ill patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted to 10 ICUs in Mexico, from April 1 to April 30, 2020. Demographic data, comorbid conditions, clinical presentation, treatment, and outcomes were collected and analyzed. The date of final follow-up was June 4, 2020.ResultsA total of 164 patients with severe COVID-19 were included in this study. The mean age of patients was 57.3 years (SD 13.7), 114 (69.5%) were men, and 6.0% were healthcare workers. Comorbid conditions were common in patients with critical COVID-19: 38.4% of patients had hypertension and 32.3% had diabetes. Compared to survivors, nonsurvivors were older and more likely to have diabetes, hypertension or other conditions. Patients presented to the hospital a median of 7 days (IQR 4.5–9) after symptom onset. The most common presenting symptoms were shortness of breath, fever, dry cough, and myalgias. One hundred percent of patients received invasive mechanical ventilation for a median time of 11 days (IQR 6–14). A total of 139 of 164 patients (89.4%) received vasopressors, and 24 patients (14.6%) received renal replacement therapy during hospitalization. Eighty-five (51.8%) patients died at or before 30 days, with a median survival of 25 days. Age (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02–1.08; p<0.001) and C-reactive protein levels upon ICU admission (1.008; 95% CI, 1.003–1.012; p<0.001) were associated with a higher risk of in-hospital death. ICU length of stay was associated with reduced in-hospital mortality risk (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.84–0.94; p<0.001).ConclusionsThis observational study of critically ill patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted to the ICU in Mexico demonstrated that age and C-reactive protein level upon ICU admission were associated with in-hospital mortality, and the overall hospital mortality rate was high.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04336345.     

Determinants of COVID-19 disease severity in patients with underlying rheumatic disease

Clinical Rheumatology - Over the month of April, Spain has become the European country with more confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, after surpassing Italy on April 2nd. The community of Castile...     

Clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients with rheumatic diseases: a retrospective cohort study and synthesis analysis in Wuhan,China

Clinical Rheumatology - The clinical outcomes of patients with rheumatic diseases infected with COVID-19 were inconsistent characteristics across regions and time periods. We need to revisit and...     

COVID-19 with rheumatic diseases: a report of 5 cases

Clinical Rheumatology - The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the result of an infection with the new virus, SARS-CoV-2, is rapidly spreading worldwide. It is largely unknown whether the...     

COVID-19 among patients with giant cell arteritis: a single-centre observational study from Slovenia

Clinical Rheumatology - Patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) represent a fragile population with an increased infection risk. In a recent study, older age, a higher number of comorbidities,...     

Predictors of hospitalization for COVID-19 in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases: results from a community cohort follow-up

Clinical Rheumatology - The identification of risk factors for COVID-19 adverse course in autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) is of the utmost importance when approaching patient management;...     

Clinical characteristics of older patients infected with COVID-19: A descriptive study

ObjectivesSince the outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which has spread in the world rapidly. Population have a susceptibility to COVID-19, older people were more susceptible to have a variety diseases than younger, including COVID-19 infection with no doubt. This study focused on older patients with COVID-19 infection and analyzed the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of them.MethodsWe collected information on confirmed older patient transferred by Beijing Emergency Medical Service (EMS) to the designated hospitals from Jan 20 to Feb 29, 2020. The information including demographic, epidemiological, clinical, classification of severity and outcomes. All cases were categorized into three groups and compared the difference between aged 50–64 years, 65–79 years and older than 80 years.Results56.7 % of elderly confirmed patients were male, fever (78.3 %), cough (56.7 %), dyspnea (30.0 %), and fatigue (23.3 %) were common symptoms of COVID-19 infection. Classification of severity has statistically significant differences between the three groups, compared with middle-aged patients and aged 65–79 years group, older than 80 years group had significant statistical differences in contacted to symptomatic case in 14 days. As of Feb 29, 38.3 % patients had discharged and 53.3 % patients remained in hospital in our study, the fatality of COVID-19 infection in elderly was 8.3 %.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 infection is generally susceptible with a relatively high fatality rate in older patients, we should pay more attention to the elderly patients with COVID-19 infection.     

Clinical course and outcomes of COVID-19 in rheumatic disease patients: a case cohort study with a diverse population

Clinical Rheumatology - To determine clinical course and outcomes in rheumatic disease patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and compare results to uninfected patients. We conducted a...     

COVID-19 and rheumatic autoimmune systemic diseases: report of a large Italian patients series

Introduction

Covid-19 infection poses a serious challenge for immune-compromised patients with inflammatory autoimmune systemic diseases. We investigated the clinical-epidemiological findings of 1641 autoimmune systemic disease Italian patients during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Method

This observational multicenter study included 1641 unselected patients with autoimmune systemic diseases from three Italian geographical areas with different prevalence of Covid-19 [high in north (Emilia Romagna), medium in central (Tuscany), and low in south (Calabria)] by means of telephone 6-week survey. Covid-19 was classified as (1) definite diagnosis of Covid-19 disease: presence of symptomatic Covid-19 infection, confirmed by positive oral/nasopharyngeal swabs; (2) highly suspected Covid-19 disease: presence of highly suggestive symptoms, in absence of a swab test.

Results

A significantly higher prevalence of patients with definite diagnosis of Covid-19 disease, or with highly suspected Covid-19 disease, or both the conditions together, was observed in the whole autoimmune systemic disease series, compared to “Italian general population” (p = .030, p = .001, p = .000, respectively); and for definite + highly suspected diagnosis of Covid-19 disease, in patients with autoimmune systemic diseases of the three regions (p = .000, for all comparisons with the respective regional general population). Moreover, significantly higher prevalence of definite + highly suspected diagnosis of Covid-19 disease was found either in patients with various “connective tissue diseases” compared to “inflammatory arthritis group” (p < .000), or in patients without ongoing conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs treatments (p = .011).

Conclusions

The finding of a higher prevalence of Covid-19 in patients with autoimmune systemic diseases is particularly important, suggesting the need to develop valuable prevention/management strategies, and stimulates in-depth investigations to verify the possible interactions between Covid-19 infection and impaired immune-system of autoimmune systemic diseases.

Clinical course of COVID-19 patients treated with ECMO: A multicenter study in Daegu,South Korea

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused an epidemic of critical patients, some of whom have been treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). This purpose of study is to describe the clinical course of COVID-19 patients treated with ECMO.MethodsA multicentered study of critical patients with COVID-19 treated at six hospitals in Daegu was conducted between January and April 2020.ResultsAmong the 80 patients receiving mechanical ventilation support, 19 (24%) were treated with ECMO included (median age 63.0 years). Eight of the 19 patients (42%) were weaned off ECMO (9.8 days, IQR 7.0-13.7). Among them, four patients were also weaned off mechanical ventilation (33.4 days, IQR 29.3 - 35.7), three were still receiving mechanical ventilation (50.9 days), and one expired after ECMO weaning. According to the univariate analysis, the factor that was associated with successful ECMO weaning was vitamin B12 treatment (p = 0.028).ConclusionsDuring the COVID-19 epidemic, ECMO weaning and mortality rates were 42% and 58%, respectively.     

No improvement in survival of patients with amyloidosis associated with inflammatory rheumatic diseases -- data from the Finnish national registry for kidney diseases

OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence and outcome of renal replacement therapy (RRT) among patients with amyloidosis associated with inflammatory rheumatic diseases. METHODS: Patients with amyloidosis entering RRT from 1987 to 2002 were identified from the Finnish Registry for Kidney Diseases. Five hundred two patients were identified, 80% of whom had amyloidosis associated with an underlying rheumatic disease. They were followed from the time of entering RRT until death or until the end of 2003 using the Finnish national mortality files. RESULTS: During the study period, there was no decline in the number of patients with amyloidosis entering RRT. Mean age of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) increased significantly from 1987 to 2002 (p < 0.001). Male sex and a diagnosis of JIA indicated an increased risk of mortality. The median survival time after entering RRT was 2.11 years for RA (95% CI 1.93 to 2.69), 2.37 years for ankylosing spondylitis (95% CI 1.11 to 4.31), and 3.05 years for JIA (95% CI 2.19 to 4.23). The 5-year survival rates among patients with the corresponding diagnoses were 18% (95% CI 14% to 23%), 30% (95% CI 14% to 48%), and 27% (95% CI 14% to 41%), respectively. CONCLUSION: No decline was seen in the number of patients with amyloidosis associated with inflammatory rheumatic diseases accepted for RRT, but over the years, the age of patients with RA or JIA entering RRT was seen to increase. The outcome of patients with amyloidosis and endstage renal disease associated with rheumatic diseases remains poor.     

Two-year direct and indirect costs for patients with inflammatory rheumatic joint diseases: data from real-life follow-up of patients in the NOR-DMARD registry

Objective. The overall aim of this study was to estimate the total costs for patients with RA, AS and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treated with DMARDs. Specific aims were to compare the costs across diagnoses and over time. Methods. The main data source was the Norwegian DMARD register (NOR-DMARD) that captures outcomes and resource use among patients starting therapy with synthetic and biologic DMARDs. Costs were estimated for four 6-month periods from the start of a DMARD regimen. We included RA (n?=?1152), AS (n?=?186) and PsA (n?=?374) patients with available 2-year data. Direct costs included pharmaceuticals, imaging examinations, in-hospital and out-hospital care, stays in rehabilitation units and visits to general practitioners, private rheumatologists and physiotherapists. Indirect cost included patients' work absenteeism. Differences in costs across diagnoses were tested by Kruskal-Wallis equality-of-populations rank test and changes in costs between first and fourth 6-month periods were tested by paired t-tests. Results. Total 2-year costs were similar across diagnoses for patients on synthetic treatment (RA/AS/PsA €64?300/63?200/64?500) and on biologic treatment (€121?900/115?319/111?200). The largest cost component was productivity loss. Total costs decreased significantly from the first to the fourth 6-month periods for all diagnoses, and this decrease was influenced by reductions both in direct and indirect costs. Conclusion. Total costs were similar across the main inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Biologic DMARD treatment entails considerable drug cost, but the total costs decline during the first 2 years on treatment in both RA, AS and PsA.     

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients with prediabetes

Background and aimsWe aimed to examine the clinical characteristics and outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with prediabetes.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study of 102 COVID-19 patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in India between May and October 2020.ResultsMost patients had a poor clinical profile on admission. They had high rates of invasive mechanical ventilation (48%), intensive care unit admission (48%), complications (72.6%), and mortality (32.4%).ConclusionPeople with prediabetes are at high risk for poor outcomes from COVID-19.     

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of dilated phase of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: Report from the registry data in Japan

BackgroundA subset of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has been reported to progress into dilated-HCM (D-HCM), characterized by left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction and cavity dilatation, resembling idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). We compared the characteristics, treatments, and outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) due to D-HCM vs. DCM by using national registry data in Japan.Methods and resultsThe Japanese Cardiac Registry of Heart Failure in Cardiology (JCARE-CARD) is a prospective observational study of patients hospitalized due to worsening HF with an average of 2.2 years of follow-up. Patients with D-HCM (n = 41) were more likely to be male, have prior stroke, atrial fibrillation, and sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation compared with DCM (n = 486). Echocardiography demonstrated that D-HCM patients had smaller LV end-systolic diameter, higher ejection fraction, and greater wall thickness. Treatments for HF including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker, β-blocker, and spironolactone were similar between groups except for higher use of amiodarone, warfarin, and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator for D-HCM. Mortality was significantly higher in patients with D-HCM (29.7% vs. 14.4%; p < 0.05). Sudden death tended to be higher also in D-HCM (8.1% vs. 2.6%; p = 0.06), which, however, did not reach statistical significance.ConclusionsHF patients with D-HCM had higher mortality risk than those with DCM. Effective management strategies are critically needed to be established for D-HCM.     

普通型新型冠状病毒肺炎165例患者的临床和代谢特征

目的:回顾性分析普通型新型冠状病毒肺炎(COVID-19)康复患者的临床特征和血清学特点。方法:收集2020年2月23日至3月15日在湖北省武汉市雷神山医院康复出院的165例普通型COVID-19患者临床资料,按年龄分为老年和非老年组,比较2组患者的临床和血清学代谢特征。结果:165例患者中60岁以上老年占49.7%。...     

Clinical characteristics and risk stratification in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with brugada syndrome: multicenter study in Japan

Background: Neither the clinical characteristics nor risk stratification in Brugada syndrome have been clearly determined. We compared the clinical and ECG characteristics of symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with Brugada syndrome to identify new markers for high-risk patients.
Methods: A total of 188 consecutive individuals with Brugada syndrome (mean age 53 ± 14 years, 178 males) were enrolled in the Japan Idiopathic Ventricular Fibrillation Study (J-IVFS). Clinical and ECG characteristics were evaluated in three groups of patients: Ventricular fibrillation (VF) group: patients with documented VF (N = 33); Syncope (Sy) group: patients with syncope without documented VF (N = 57); and asymptomatic (As) group: subjects without symptoms (N = 98). Their prognostic parameters were evaluated over a 3-year follow-up period.
Results: (1) Clinical characteristics: incidence of past history of atrial fibrillation (AF) was significantly higher in the VF and Sy groups than in the AS group (P = 0.04). (2) On 12-lead ECG, r-J interval in lead V2 and QRS duration in lead V6 were longest in the VF group (P = 0.001, 0.002, respectively). (3) Clinical follow-up: during a mean follow-up period of 37 ± 16 months, incidences of cardiac events (sudden death and/or VF) were higher in the symptomatic (VF/Sy) groups than in the As group (P < 0.0001). The r-J interval in lead V2 ≥ 90 ms and QRS duration in lead V6 ≥ 90 ms were found to be possible predictors of recurrence of cardiac events in symptomatic patients.
Conclusions: Prolonged QRS duration in precordial leads was prominent in symptomatic patients. This ECG marker may be useful for distinguishing high- from low-risk patients with Brugada syndrome.