POS1422 CORRELATES OF TESTING POSITIVE FOR SARS-COV-2 IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATIC AD MUSCULOSKELETAL DISEASES

Background: Many studies on COVID-19 outcomes in patients with RMD have either restricted to COVID positive RMD patients or compared them to the general clinic population as a comparator. Given heterogeneity in behaviors and risks, clinical characteristics associated with a positive diagnosis among patients with RMD seeking testing for Sars-CoV-2 remain less well studied. Objectives: Among patients with RMD receiving a Sars-CoV-2 PCR test, we aimed to identify RMD-related factors associated with a positive test result. Methods: Among patients seen at least once in the University of Washington (UW) rheumatology clinics between March 2018 to March 2020, we reviewed electronic medical records to identify patients undergoing Sars-CoV-2 PCR testing from March 1 through October 31, 2020. Patients with RMD were categorized into two groups: those who tested positive for Sars-CoV-2 and those who tested negative. We randomly selected patients from the negative group in a 2:1 ratio for further data abstraction. Student's t-test and Chi-squared tests were used to compare continuous and categorical variables, respectively, between the groups. To determine the correlates of testing positive for Sars-CoV-2, specifically RMD medication use and disease activity, we constructed different multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, presence of comorbidities, body mass index, and smoking. Results: A total of 2768 RMD patients underwent SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing within the UW system, of whom 43 (1.5%) were positive at least once. Three patients with incomplete information were excluded. Patients who tested positive had higher prevalence of end stage renal disease (ESRD)/chronic kidney disease (CKD) (24% versus 11%), had higher rates of active disease (24% versus 20%), were older (>55 years) (mean age 57.3 versus 54.8 years), male (63% versus 55%), non-white race/ethnicity (32% versus 26%), and higher prevalence of multiple comorbidities (42% versus 31%) (Table 1). In the multivariable models, neither RMD medication use (versus no use, Table 1) nor high disease activity (vs low disease activity/remission) were statistically significantly associated with COVID-19 positivity. Among the 41 COVID-19 positive patients, a majority recovered without specific treatments, although approximately one third of the positive patients were hospitalized and three deaths were observed. Conclusion: In this study, patients who tested positive did not differ in many ways from those who tested negative. (Figure Presented).