COVID-19: the new challenge for rheumatologists

Currently, the infection caused by the new coronavirus COVID-19 is considered by the global community as an emergency of international concern. Rheumatologists are particularly concerned about this problem, since patients with immune-mediated inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IMIRDs) are at higher risk for infectious diseases and receive immunosuppressive treatment. The use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and biological agents increases the incidence of serious infections, but insufficient/no monitoring of IMIRD activity is an even greater risk factor for infectious complications. In addition, the role of vaccination mainly against influenza and pneumococcal infection is substantially increasing in modern conditions, since the risk of death from respiratory tract infections is quite high in patients with IMIRDs, which is very important in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic.The paper presents an update on the incidence of viral infections in patients with IMIRDs and also discusses whether antirheumatic drugs can be used to treat COVID-19