Challenge of diagnosing ANCA-associated vasculitis during COVID-19 pandemic: a missed 'window of opportunity

There is concern around coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and rheumatic diseases. Systemic vasculitis was the fourth most common rheumatic disease among patients hospitalised for COVID-19.1 However, the diagnosis of anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) can be challenging during COVID-19 pandemic for several reasons: first, clinical presentation of patients with AAV partially overlaps with COVID-19; second, patients with initial symptoms of AAV may be concerned to seek medical help in order not to get into close contact with other patients; and third, diagnosis may be delayed because non-urgent tests and visits might have been postponed due to COVID-19 related closure of services. Herein, we report the poor and irreversible clinical outcomes of diagnostic delay of AAV during the COVID-19 pandemic. We recently encountered a cluster of nine life-threatening presentations of new-onset or relapsing AAV admitted to a Verona hospital, all negative for SARS-CoV-2 by nasopharyngeal swab or...
Source: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases - Category: Rheumatology Authors: Tags: ARD, COVID-19 Correspondence Source Type: research