COVID-19 prevalence and outcomes in patients receiving biologic therapies at an infusion center in New York City

• Published in: Clinical immunology (Orlando, Fla.) Vol. 230; p. 108803
• Main Authors: Harada, Kaoru, Ho, Hsi-en, Cunningham-Rundles, Charlotte
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.09.2021
• Subjects: Ambulatory Care Facilities; Autoimmune Diseases - therapy; Biologic therapy; Biological Factors - administration & dosage; Biomarkers; Comorbidity; COVID-19; COVID-19 - complications; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - mortality; Female; Humans; Immunodeficiencies; Immunomodulatory therapy; Incidence; Inflammation - metabolism; Male; Middle Aged; New York City - epidemiology; Prevalence; SARS-CoV-2; New York City; COVID-19; Immunomodulatory therapy; Immunodeficiencies; Biologic therapy
• ISSN: 1521-6616; 1521-7035
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2021.108803

To better understand COVID-19 infection in patients receiving biologic and immunomodulatory therapies, we evaluated prevalence and outcomes for symptomatic cases of COVID-19 at a large therapeutic infusion center in New York City during the height of the pandemic. 2074 patients received treatment with biologic infusions at our center between March and May 2020, and 34 patients developed symptomatic COVID-19 infection, for an overall low rate of 1.64%. The majority of infections and deaths were in a small subset of patients with a primary immunodeficiency. Patients with inflammatory or autoimmune conditions requiring biologic therapies tended to have mild cases. Higher inflammatory responses were observed in patients who died. •Low incidence of symptomatic COVD-19 cases at a large biologic infusion center in New York City•Most of the cases and deaths were in patients with primary immunodeficiency.•Patients on biologic therapies for autoimmune conditions tended to have mild cases.•Elevated inflammatory markers were noted in patients who died.