Response to: Correspondence on "Associations of baseline use of biologic or targeted synthetic DMARDs with COVID-19 severity in rheumatoid arthritis: results from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance physician registry" by Sparks et al

We appreciate the interest in our paper1 and the opportunity to provide additional clarification and context. It is now generally accepted that there are different phases of COVID-19 illness.2 Our study investigated baseline use, presumably at the earliest phase of infection where viral replication is most pronounced. Clinical trials have typically tested the efficacy of medication use among hospitalised patients where pathologic hyperinflammation may mediate poor clinical outcomes. Therefore, the timing of immunomodulator use related to the COVID-19 disease course may have different effects on clinical outcomes, and trial results may not be able to be extrapolated to observational studies of baseline medication use. Observational results may lend insight into key immune mechanisms that could alter the trajectory of COVID-19, but the results could be confounded. To limit possible confounding by indication, our study used an active comparator study design that included patients with a...

Source: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases - June 12, 2023 Category: Rheumatology Authors: Wallace, Z. S., Sparks, J. A., Robinson, P. C., Machado, P. M., Yazdany, J. Tags: ARD, COVID-19 Correspondence response Source Type: research