medwireNews: The World Scleroderma Foundation has released preliminary guidance to address questions on COVID-19 in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).
“Due to the frequent presence of interstitial lung disease and widespread use of immunosuppressive treatment, [SSc] patients may be considered at risk for a more severe disease course and higher mortality when they develop Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - Coronavirus - 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus infection,” write Marco Matucci-Cerinic (Università degli Studi di Firenze, Italy) and co-authors.
They explain that the advice was developed by rheumatology, virology, and clinical immunology experts to address “the main practical clinical questions regarding SARS-CoV-2 infection coming from both patients and physicians.”
The guidance, published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, covers a number of topics, including infection risk, SARS-CoV-2 testing, considerations for with immunosuppressive SSc treatments, and the management of COVID-19 in this patient group.
“This preliminary advice is aligned with other national and international recommendations, adapted for SSc patients,” say Matucci-Cerinic and colleagues.
medwireNews is an independent medical news service provided by Springer Healthcare. © 2020 Springer Healthcare part of the Springer Nature Group
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