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EULAR COVID-19 Recommendations Say Continue Medications, but Vaccinate

EULAR has issued treatment recommendations for patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions with SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19. A task force of 20 physicians settled on five overarching principles and 13 recommendations, which are similar to COVID-19 treatment guidelines issued by ACR in April-with slight variations.

German researchers reported at EULAR this week that patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal-related pain are increasingly turning to opioids and continue to take them even after the pain subsides.

COVID-19 was center-stage at this year's EULAR meeting. Dr. Pedro Machado, a rheumatologist with the University College London and chair of EULAR's Standing Committee for Epidemiology and Health Service Research shared the results of a study on patients with rheumatic disease who contracted COVID-19. He and his team found that patients taking a higher dose of prednisone, had an increased of being hospitalized. But patients receiving TNF blockers were less likely to be hospitalized. In this interview, Dr. Machado talks with us about the findings.