Among U.S. patients with rheumatic disease and COVID-19, racial/ethnic minorities had higher risks of needing to be hospitalized and put on ventilators. The findings come from an analysis published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

The analysis included data on all U.S. patients with rheumatic disease and COVID-19 entered into the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance physician registry from March 24 to August 26, 2020. A total of 1,324 patients were included, of whom 36% were hospitalized and 6% died; 26% of hospitalized patients required mechanical ventilation.

Compared with white patients, Black, Latinx, and Asian patients had 2.74-, 1.71-, and 2.69-times higher odds, respectively, of being hospitalized. Latinx patients also had three-fold increased odds of requiring mechanical ventilation. No differences in mortality based on race/ethnicity were found.

“Similar to the general population, Black, Latinx, and Asian individuals with rheumatic diseases are more likely to experience severe outcomes of COVID-19. These data suggest that the current pandemic will further exacerbate the health disparities that already exist for many patients with rheumatic disease,” said senior author Jinoos Yazdany, MD, MPH, of the University of California, San Francisco.