RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Alsaed, Omar A1 Alemadi, Samar A1 Satti, Eman A1 Becetti, Karima A1 Saleh, Rawan A1 Ashour, Hadil A1 Hamed, Miral A1 Alam, Fiaz A1 Alrimawi, Yousef A1 Nader, Joanne A1 Chaponda, Masautso A1 Awadh, Basem A1 Hammoudeh, MohammadYR 2022 T1 Risk of Severe SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Patients with Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases in Qatar: A Cohort Matched Study JF Qatar Medical Journal, VO 2022 IS 3 OP SP 24 DO https://doi.org/10.5339/qmj.2022.24 PB Hamad bin Khalifa University Press (HBKU Press), SN 2227-0426, AB Background: It remains unclear whether patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) are at a higher risk of poor outcomes from a SARS-CoV-2 infection. We evaluated whether patients with an ARDs infected with SARS-CoV-2 were at a higher risk of a poorer outcome than those without an ARDs. Methods: Patients with an ARDs infected with SARS-CoV-2 were matched to control patients without a known ARDs. Matching was performed according to age ( ± 6 years) and sex at a case-to-control ratio of 1:3. Demographic and clinical data were extracted from the databases and were compared between the two groups. Severe SARS-CoV-2 infection was the primary outcome and was defined as the requirement for oxygen therapy support, the need for invasive or noninvasive mechanical ventilation, or the use of glucocorticoids. Results: A total of 141 patients with an ARDs were matched to 398 patients who formed the control group. The mean ages (SD) of the ARDs and non-ARDs groups were 44.4 years (11.4) and 43.4 years (12.2). Women accounted for 58.8% of the ARDs group and 56.3% of the control group (p = 0.59). Demographics and comorbidities were balanced between the groups. ARDs included connective tissue disease in 43 (30.3%) patients, inflammatory arthritis in 92 (65.2%), and other ARDs in 8 (5.7%). ARDs medications included biological/targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/ts-DMARDs) in 28 (15.6%) patients, conventional synthetic DMARDs in 95 (67.4%), and immunosuppressive antimetabolites in 13 (9.2%). The ARDs group had more respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms related to SARS-CoV-2 infection than the control group (24.8% and 20.6% vs. 10% and 5.3%, respectively; p <  0.001 for both). Severe SARS-CoV-2 infection was more common in the ARDs group than in the control group (14.9% vs. 5.8%; p <  0.001). Conclusions: In this single-center matched cohort study, patients with an ARDs experienced more respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms related to SARS-CoV-2 infection and had more severe infection than those from the control group. Therefore, patients with an ARDs require close observation during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic., UL https://www.qscience.com/content/journals/10.5339/qmj.2022.24