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Correspondence
Hydroxychloroquine reduces the risk of covid-19 in patients with rheumatic diseases: myth or reality?
  1. Wenhui Xie,
  2. Yu Wang,
  3. Zhuoli Zhang
  1. Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
  1. Correspondence to Professor Zhuoli Zhang, Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China; zhuoli.zhang{at}126.com

https://doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-217556

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    We read with great interest the article by Figueroa-Parra et al illustrating whether patients with rheumatic diseases are at higher risk of the coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).1 In this study, the authors mentioned the potential benefit of antimalarial drugs for patients with rheumatic diseases in the context of covid-19 pandemic. At present, that is the really pivotal question, whether the antimalarial drugs could reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with rheumatic diseases.

    Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and chloroquine, as antimalarial drugs for more than 70 years, have been successfully used to treat variety of rheumatic diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis. Both drugs have a flat aromatic core structure and share nearly identical mechanism of action, but HCQ has replaced chloroquine in most …

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors WX and YW wrote the paper. ZZ reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the content of the manuscript.

    • 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.

    • Patient consent for publication Not required.

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

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