Medication Interruptions and Subsequent Disease Flares During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Online Study of Patients With Rheumatic Disease

By The ArthritisPower TeamMay 19, 2022COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced many new challenges to patients with rheumatic disease. This longitudinal study assessed trends in anxiety and interruptions in disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) use among patients with rheumatic disease. Baseline surveys, which were completed March to June, 2020, with follow-up through May 2021, tracked Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) anxiety T scores and DMARD adherence and use. Anxiety and interruptions in DMARD use initially decreased over time, but DMARD interruptions increased during 2021, possibly related to an increase in COVID-19 cases or vaccine availability. This is important because interruptions in DMARD use were associated with increased rates of severe disease flares.

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PatientSpot registry infrastructure was funded through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Award (PCORI Contract Number PPRN-1306-04811). PatientSpot (formerly known as Arthritis Power) was jointly developed by the nonprofit Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF), its associated CreakyJoints arthritis patient community, and rheumatology researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). We reserve the right to change and add sponsors and partner organizations and we also reserve the right to change placement of text on the page. Created by CreakyJoints® patient community in collaboration with patient advocates at Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF) and researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Arthritis Power (now PatientSpot)’s past participation in PCORnet®, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, was supported through multiyear, multimillion-dollar Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute funding awards [PPRN-1306-04811]. Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF), the parent organization of PatientSpot, receives grants, sponsorships and contracts from pharmaceutical manufacturers and private foundations. A full list of GHLF funders is publicly available here: https://www.ghlf.org/our-partners.