Hospitalization, Critical Illness, and Mortality Outcomes of COVID‐19 in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Objective To investigate the clinical outcomes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with COVID‐19. Methods This retrospective study consisted of 361 patients with RA+ and 45,954 patients with RA− (March 2020 to August 2022) who tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 by polymerase‐chain‐reaction in the Montefiore Health System, which serves a large low‐income, minority‐predominant population in the Bronx and was an epicenter of the initial pandemic and subsequent surges. Primary outcomes were hospitalization, critical illness, and all‐cause mortality associated with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Comparisons were made with and without adjustment for covariates, as well as with 1083 matched controls of patients with RA− and COVID‐19. Results Patients with RA+ and COVID‐19 were older (62.2 ± 23.5 vs. 45.5 ± 26.3; P 0.05). Outcomes were not different between patients with RA+ and propensity‐matched RA− controls (P > 0.05). Conclusion Our findings suggest that risk factors for adverse COVID‐19 outcomes were not attributed to RA per se but rather age and preexisting medical conditions of patients with RA.