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An Immunohistopathologic Study to Profile the Folate Receptor Beta Macrophage and Vascular Immune Microenvironment in Giant Cell Arteritis
06:35

An Immunohistopathologic Study to Profile the Folate Receptor Beta Macrophage and Vascular Immune Microenvironment in Giant Cell Arteritis

Published on: February 8, 2019

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

Jelka Kramarič1, Rok Ješe2, Matija Tomšič2,3

  • 1Department of Rheumatology, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Vodnikova 62, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. jelka.kramaric@gmail.com.

Clinical Rheumatology
|April 3, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Giant cell arteritis patients are at high risk for severe COVID-19, with over a fifth experiencing severe outcomes. Arterial hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and obesity were linked to worse COVID-19 in this GCA cohort.

Area of Science:

  • Rheumatology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Giant cell arteritis (GCA) patients are considered a vulnerable population with an elevated risk of infections.
  • Previous studies indicated that factors such as older age, comorbidities, and high-dose prednisolone are associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes in GCA patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the frequency and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a well-defined cohort of patients with giant cell arteritis.
  • To identify risk factors associated with severe COVID-19 outcomes in GCA patients.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective review of medical records for patients with histologically or imaging-proven GCA diagnosed between September 2011 and February 2020.
  • Follow-up data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 to February 2022 (24 months) to assess SARS-CoV-2 infections.
  • Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the patient population and outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Out of 265 eligible GCA patients, 55 (20.8%) experienced 57 SARS-CoV-2 infections.
  • Severe COVID-19 (requiring hospitalization, death, or thrombotic complications) occurred in 13 (22.8%) patients.
  • Severe COVID-19 was significantly associated with arterial hypertension (92.3%), cardiovascular disease (53.8%), and obesity (38.5%).
  • Low-dose prednisolone (1-5 mg/day) and leflunomide treatment were not associated with COVID-19 severity.

Conclusions:

  • Over one-fifth of the giant cell arteritis cohort experienced severe COVID-19.
  • Arterial hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and obesity are identified as risk factors for severe COVID-19 in GCA patients.
  • Treatment with leflunomide or low-dose glucocorticoids did not correlate with worse COVID-19 outcomes in this cohort.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19Giant cell arteritisGlucocorticoidsLeflunomideOutcome assessment

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