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Correspondence
COVID-19 in paediatric rheumatology patients treated with b/tsDMARDs: a cross-sectional patient survey study
  1. Muserref Kasap Cuceoglu,
  2. Ezgi Deniz Batu,
  3. Yelda Bilginer,
  4. Seza Özen
  1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Rheumatology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
  1. Correspondence to Seza Özen, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Rheumatology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara 06230, Turkey; sezaozen{at}hacettepe.edu.tr

https://doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-218341

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    We read with great interest the article by Salvarani et al comparing the COVID-19 infection susceptibility and severity between the patients treated with biologic or targeted synthetic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) and all residents in the Reggio Emilia area.1 In their cohort of 1195 patients treated with b/tsDMARDs, there were nine confirmed COVID-19 cases. None of these COVID-19 cases were ≤45 years of age while only two out of 25 patients who were tested for COVID-19 were ≤45 years. They did not observe a different susceptibility or severity of COVID-19 in patients treated with these drugs.1

    Biologic/targeted synthetic DMARDs often target pathways of the immune system and this may result in a tendency for infections.2 Serious infections have been reported in both children and adults treated with these drugs.3 However, the data about infection rate and severity in children on b/ts DMARDs are limited. …

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors All authors were involved in drafting and revising the manuscript, and approved the final version. Study design: EDB, YB and SO. Data collection: MKC and EDB. Interpretation and analysis of the data: MKC, EDB and YB. Interpretation and analysis of the data: EDB, MKC, YB and SO. MKC and EDB contributed equally to this study.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting or dissemination plans of this research.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.

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