When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, rheumatologists were flooded with phone calls and messages from worried patients with SLE or IA. No one knew for sure whether continuing with their medications would put the patients at higher risk for poor COVID-19 outcomes.
Immune cell activation in severe COVID-19 resembles lupus
In severe cases of COVID-19, an exuberant activation of immune cells resembles that seen in acute flares of SLE..
New research from Emory University School of Medicine points towards tests that could separate some COVID-19 patients who need immune-calming therapies from others who may not. It also may begin to explain why some people infected with SARS-CoV-2 produce abundant antibodies against the virus, yet experience poor outcomes.