Table 3.
Factors associated with COVID-19-related hospitalization in RA patients
| Parameters | Hospitalized RA patients with COVID-19 (N = 49) | Outpatient RA patients with COVID-19 (N = 79) |
p-value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Female, n (%) | 43 (87.8) | 64 (81.0) | 0.227 |
| Age ≥ 65, n (%) | 16 (32.7) | 6 (7.6) | 0.001 |
| Obesity (BMI > 30), n (%) | 25 (51.0) | 25 (31.6) | 0.024 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 16 (32.7) | 18 (22.8) | 0.128 |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 16 (32.7) | 8 (10.1) | 0.001 |
| Pulmonary disease, n (%) | 5 (10.2) | 4 (5.1) | 0.188 |
| Chronic kidney disease, n (%) | 3 (5.6) | 3 (0.9) | 0.084 |
| Malignancies, n (%) | 3 (6.1) | 0 | - |
| Smoking, n (%) | 0 | 4 (5.1) | - |
| Heart disease, n (%) | 3 (6.1) | 1 (1.3) | - |
| Having ≥ 2 COVID-19 risk factors, n (%) | 21 (42.9) | 12 (15.2) | 0.004 |
| RA disease duration, median (IQR) | 84 (37, 128) | 72 (36, 120) | 0.321 |
| Active RA disease, n (%) | 16 (34.7) | 19 (24.1) | 0.228 |
| Medications | |||
| NSAIDs, n (%) | 14 (28.6) | 5 (6.3) | 0.002 |
| Prednisolone, n (%) | 45 (91.8) | 52 (65.8) | 0.001 |
| Prednisolone dose (mg/d) | 5 (5, 7.5) | 5 (2.5, 5) | 0.001 |
| Hydroxychloroquine, n (%) | 37 (75.5) | 51 (64.5) | 0.135 |
| Methotrexate, n (%) | 38 (77.6) | 55 (69.6) | 0.220 |
| Sulfasalazine, n (%) | 11 (22.2) | 17 (21.5) | 0.534 |
| Leflunomide, n (%) | 7 (14.3) | 17 (21.5) | 0.217 |
| TNFis, n (%) | 6 (12.2) | 11 (13.9) | 0.372 |
We bolded significant P-values (p < 0.05)
*Comparisons between groups was made by chi-squared test, independent sample t test, and U Mann–Whitney test, as appropriate
RA, rheumatoid arthritis; n, number; BMI, body mass index; IQR, interquartile range; NSAIDs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; TNFis, TNFα inhibitors