Infection News

Giant cell arteritis and COVID-19 both feature headache, fever, elevated C-reactive protein and cough as symptoms, whereas jaw claudication, visual loss and platelet and lymphocyte counts may be more discriminatory, according to findings.

November 2020 was a grim time for COVID-19 in the United States, marking the beginning of a brand-new wave of infections fueled by holiday get-togethers that triggered an explosion of cases.

Treatment with IV immunoglobulin plus methylprednisolone resulted in a more favorable fever course — and fewer complications — in children with COVID-19-related multisystem inflammatory syndrome than IV immunoglobulins alone.

Latino patients with rheumatic disease have a high rate of COVID-19, with obesity identified as a key risk factor for infection, which, in turn, was linked to increased risk for rheumatic disease flare, according to data.

With two COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech now in circulation and individuals nationwide receiving their initial doses, patients and providers have questions — a lot of questions.

Patients being treated with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors or methotrexate who acquired COVID-19 did not experience elevated hospitalization or mortality rates, according to a study.

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease exhibited a higher incidence of COVID-19 hospitalization than the general population, and those with rheumatoid arthritis are at a greater risk for severe outcomes, according to data.

We end the year with Leonard Calabrese, DO, giving us a summary of what we’ve learned about COVID-19 from the perspective of a rheumatologist.

Although the risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease has lowered, it is nonetheless still significant, according to data published in The Lancet Rheumatology.

Glucocorticoids, even at a low dose, may increase the risk for COVID-19, while immunomodulatory treatments appear safe for patients with inflammatory arthritis, according to data published in Arthritis Research & Therapy.