COVID-19 Outcomes in Patients Receiving Long-Term Colchicine Monotherapy

Öz

Objective: The role of colchicine in the treatment and prognosis of COVID-19 is controversial. We aimed to investigate the clinical course and prognosis of COVID-19 in patients receiving long-term colchicine treatment for conditions such as familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and Behçet's disease (BD). Methods: In our single-center, retrospective study, 369 patients who started and/or continued colchicine treatment with various diagnoses in the Dermatology and Internal Medicine Clinic before the pandemic were included. Patients were retrospectively screened for a diagnosis of COVID-19 based primarily on SARS-CoV-2 RT‒PCR testing, with compatible clinical and chest CT findings used in a small number of PCR-negative cases. PCR-positive patients were divided into four groups—outpatient, inpatient, intensive care, and mortality—and their data were analyzed. Results: Of the 369 patients who received colchicine, 47 (12.7%) were diagnosed with COVID-19. Among these 47 patients, 8 were hospitalized, 38 were treated as outpatients, and two were treated in the intensive care unit. Among the hospitalized patients, the average age and the presence of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension (HT), and diabetes mellitus (DM) were significantly greater. Conclusion: In our patient group treated with colchicine, which is considered a potential drug for preventing COVID-19, the incidence of COVID-19 was similar to the cumulative incidence rates estimated for the general population living in Türkiye; however, the clinical course of COVID-19 was not severe, and there was no mortality. Although the evidence level is not high, colchicine has a positive effect on the course of the disease.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Colchicine
• Behçet disease
• COVID-19
• hospitalization
• mortality

Destekleyen Kurum

YOK

Etik Beyan

Ethics committee approval was obtained from Erzurum Regional Training and Research Hospital (Date: February 15, 2021, Number: E37732058-514.10)

Teşekkür

We thank our colleague, Özge Timur, who recently passed away, for their remarkable contribution to patient recruitment in this study.

Kolşisin Monoterapisi Alan Behçet ve FMF Hastalarında Covıd-19 Prognozu

Öz

Amaç: Kolşisinin COVID-19 tedavisi ve prognozundaki rolü tartışmalıdır. Bu çalışmada, ailesel Akdeniz ateşi (FMF) ve Behçet hastalığı (BH) gibi hastalıklar nedeniyle uzun süreli kolşisin tedavisi alan hastalarda COVID-19 enfeksiyonunun klinik seyri ve prognozunun araştırılması amaçlandı. Yöntemler: Tek merkezli, retrospektif çalışmamıza pandemi öncesinde Dermatoloji ve İç Hastalıkları kliniklerinde çeşitli tanılarla kolşisin tedavisine başlanmış ve/veya tedavisine devam eden 369 hasta dahil edildi. Hastalar COVID-19 PCR pozitifliği açısından tarandı. PCR pozitif hastalar ayaktan tedavi edilen, yatarak tedavi edilen, yoğun bakımda tedavi edilen ve mortalite gelişen olmak üzere dört gruba ayrılarak verileri analiz edildi. Bulgular: Kolşisin kullanan 369 hastanın 47’sine (%12,7) COVID-19 tanısı konuldu. Bu 47 hastanın 8’i hastaneye yatırılarak tedavi edilirken, 38’i ayaktan tedavi edildi ve 2’si yoğun bakım ünitesinde tedavi gördü. Hastaneye yatırılan hastalarda ortalama yaş ile koroner arter hastalığı, konjestif kalp yetmezliği, hipertansiyon (HT) ve diabetes mellitus (DM) varlığı anlamlı derecede daha yüksekti. Sonuç: COVID-19’u önlemede potansiyel bir ilaç olarak değerlendirilen kolşisini kullanan hasta grubumuzda COVID-19 insidansı, Türkiye’de yaşayan genel toplum için tahmin edilen kümülatif insidans oranlarına benzer bulunmuştur; ancak COVID-19’un klinik seyri ağır olmamış ve mortalite gözlenmemiştir. Kanıt düzeyi yüksek olmamakla birlikte, kolşisinin hastalık seyri üzerinde olumlu bir etkisi olduğu söylenebilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Kolşisin
• Behçet Hastalığı
• COVID-19
• hastaneye yatış
• mortalite

Destekleyen Kurum

YOK

Etik Beyan

Etik kurul onayı Erzurum Bölge Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi’nden (Tarih: 15 Şubat 2021, Sayı: E37732058-514.10) alınmıştır.

Teşekkür

Bu çalışmada hasta temininde gösterdiği olağanüstü katkılarından dolayı yakın zamanda vefat eden meslektaşımız Özge Timur'a teşekkür ederiz.

Kaynakça

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