Investigation of COVID-19 infection in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica during the predominance of the omicron variant

Background:Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory disease that affects the older adult population. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk and prognosis associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection among patients diagnosed with PMR during the predominance of the Omicron variant.Methods:In this retrospective study, we included a cohort of patients with PMR who met the 2012 European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology classification criteria or the 1982 PMR diagnostic criteria and tracked their progress over time. The diagnosis of COVID-19 was based on the clinical manifestations and laboratory tests. We collected demographic information, PMR disease activity, treatment data, and clinical data related to COVID-19.Results:In total, 101 patients diagnosed with PMR were enrolled. Most patients with PMR exhibited low disease activity. Of the total cohort, 81 patients (80.2%) were categorized as individuals diagnosed with COVID-19, while the remaining 20 (19.8%) were not diagnosed with COVID-19. Among the patients with PMR diagnosed with COVID-19, 65 (80.2%) exhibited the presence of the COVID-19 antigen, while 16 (19.8%) tested positive for COVID-19 RNA. Most COVID-19 patients with PMR were classified as having mild disease (72, 88.9%). Two cases were identified within the confirmed infected group, resulting in a recurrence rate of 2.5% (2/81). Conversely, no relapses were observed in the non-infected group (0/20). In our multivariate logistic regression analysis, we found that pre-COVID-19 PMR disease activity was an independent risk factor for COVID-19 infection (odds ratio = 30.00, 95% confidence interval: 2.137-421.117, p = 0.012). Conclusion:The increased susceptibility to COVID-19 may be influenced by the pre-existing disease activity of PMR.