Covid-19 in Sarcoidosis

Title: Covid-19 in Sarcoidosis
Author(s): A Sarfaraz, H Rahman, A Subramanian, SC Donnelly, S Joomye
Institution: Department Of Medicine, Tallaght University Hospital, Trinity College Dublin
Poster: Click to view poster
Category: COVID-19
Abstract: We report the prevalence, clinical features and outcomes of COVID-19 in a cohort of 175 patients with sarcoidosis followed in a single Irish tertiary University Hospital.
We retrospectively collected features of COVID-19 in a cohort of patients with sarcoidosis. This was achieved by collating patient records and conducting 15-minute telephonic interviews. Disease manifestation of Sarcoidosis, presence of symptoms suggesting SARS-COV-2 infection, the presence of nasopharyngeal viral PCR and treatment used was investigated.
Among 175 sarcoidosis patients [mean age 58.8 (±14) years, 36 (14.8%) were diagnosed with COVID-19. 14 out of 36 patients (38%) had at least one comorbidity, and 7/36 (19%) had two or more comorbidities. Comorbidities included Hypertension, Diabetes, Coronary Artery Disease, Heart Failure, COPD and malignant tumours.
4 out of 36 (COVID-19 positive patients required admission to hospital and 2 of them died. Hospitalized patients [mean age of 61 (±11.5) years] were receiving higher doses of long term treatment with corticosteroids than non-hospitalized patients; 4/4 had pulmonary and 2/4 cardiac involvement of sarcoidosis, and all had one or more comorbidity. In conclusion, the prevalence of COVID-19 in sarcoidosis is slightly higher to that of the general population and those on high dose steroids present a worse outcome.