Chengappa Kavadichanda, MD: Short-Term COVID-19 Outcomes in SLE

Rheumatology Network interviewed Chengappa Kavadichanda, MD, to discuss his study, “Short term outcomes of COVID-19 in lupus: Propensity score matched analysis from a nationwide multi-centric research network.” Kavadichanda is Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Immunology at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER).

Primary endpoints of the study determined the severity and outcomes among patients with lupus, while secondary endpoints identified risks in association with race, sex, lupus nephritis, and immunomodulators with COVID-19 outcomes.

Data was obtained for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), both with and without a COVID-19 diagnosis, between January 2020 and May 2021. Patients were matched with COVID-19 positive controls and outcomes, including mortality rates, hospitalization, and mechanical ventilation, were compared across the groups.

A total of 2140 patients with SLE and COVID-19, 29,853 patients with SLE without COVID-19, and 732,291 controls were analyzed.

According to the study, while patients with SLE with COVID-19 had similar mortality rates when compared with the general population, they had higher risks of intensive care unit (ICU) admission (RR-1.35; 95% CI 1.01–1.83), hospitalization (RR-1.28; 95% CI 1.14–1.44), stroke (RR-2.18; 95% CI 1.32,3.60), sepsis (RR-1.37; 95% CI 1.06–1.78), mechanical ventilation (RR- 1.58 95% CI 1.07–2.33), and venous thromboembolism (VTE) (RR-2.22; 95% CI 1.57–03.12). Acute kidney injury (AKI) was more prevalent in males and patients with lupus nephritis.