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Final Program


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Poster Session A

Infection-related rheumatic syndromes

Session: (0196–0228) Infection-related Rheumatic Disease Poster

0223: Severity and Risk Factors of Hospitalization of Omicron in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sunday, November 12, 2023
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM PT
Location: Poster Hall
On Demand In Person

    Abstract Poster Presenter(s)

  • mz

    mengyao zhang, MD

    Peking University People's Hospital
    Beijing, Beijing, China

    Disclosure information not submitted.

Yan Wang1, mengyao zhang2, Sitian Zang1, liang luo3, Chun Li1, Jing He1 and zhanguo li2, 1Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China, 2Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China, 3Department of Chinese Medicine, the People's Hospital of Yubei District of Chongqing City, Chongqing, China; Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China

Background/Purpose: There is still lack of data on the prognosis of patients with RA who have been infected with SARS-Cov-2 Omicron variant, a new strain with relatively low pathogenicity but high transmissibility. The aim of our study was to evaluate the factors influencing the infection of patients with RA and the COVID-19 outcomes.

Methods: Patients who were infected after December 5, 2022 were collected. The demographic characteristics, comorbidities, clinical profile, medication of RA, and treatment from 1107 patients with RA and 2800 controls were analyzed. The χ2 test, Fisher exact test for class variables, and Mann-Whitney U test were used for continuous variables. The independent correlation factors of hospitalization were estimated using multivariate-adjusted logistic regression.

Results: Compared with the control group, patients with RA had significantly higher rates of COVID-19 symptoms. For all patients infected the COVID-19, RA (adjusted OR=2.69, 95%CI 1.37-5.29; p=0.004 ), older age (adjusted OR=1.03, 95%CI 1.01-1.05; p=0.012) and the use of glucocorticoid (adjusted OR=3.24, 95%CI 1.13-9.29; p=0.029) resulted in higher hospitalization rates. Scheduled vaccination (adjusted OR=0.46, CI 0.24-0.98; p=0.046) was a protective factor in patients with stable RA, who have a low hospitalization rate. Nevertheless, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which in some studies had to a certain extent on hospitalization rates in RA patients infected with COVID-19 to a certain extent, were not significantly associated with hospitalization in our study.

Conclusion: RA is a risk factor for increased hospitalization in patients with COVID-19, and glucocorticoids is a risk factor for hospitalization in RA patients.




Y. Wang: None; m. zhang: None; S. Zang: None; l. luo: None; C. Li: None; J. He: None; z. li: None.