TY - JOUR T1 - Preliminary recommendations of the German Society of Rheumatology (DGRh eV) for the management of patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases during the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic JF - Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases JO - Ann Rheum Dis SP - 840 LP - 842 DO - 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-217628 VL - 79 IS - 6 AU - Hendrik Schulze-Koops AU - Christof Specker AU - Christof Iking-Konert AU - Julia Holle AU - Frank Moosig AU - Klaus Krueger Y1 - 2020/06/01 UR - http://ard.bmj.com/content/79/6/840.abstract N2 - The current outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 infection provides countless unprecedented challenges—also with regard to the management of patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease. In an attempt to provide guidance, the German Society of Rheumatology instructed its commission for pharmacotherapy (Kommission Pharmakotherapie) to develop up-to-date recommendations for the management of patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic. As to date there are little, if any, evidence-based data to scientifically justify guidance, the present preliminary recommendations are based on an expert consensus by 17 experienced rheumatologists in Germany, taking into account analogies to the procedures for other, longer known viral infections, theoretical considerations and already known facts about the SARS-CoV-2 infection. A deviation from these recommendations may be useful in each individual case. The recommendations will be updated frequently (www.dgrh.de). Every physician should also be aware of novel developments while the infection proceeds.1.1. Patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases may have an increased risk of infection (box 1). Whether this also applies to SARS-CoV-2 infections is not known. It is also not known whether COVID-19 is more severe in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases or whether immunosuppressive … ER -