Long-term Behavioral Changes During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Impact of Vaccination in Patients With Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases

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  • Glintborg, Bente
  • Dorte Vendelbo Jensen
  • Terslev, Lene
  • Oliver Hendricks
  • Østergaard, Mikkel
  • Simon Horskjær Rasmussen
  • Mogens Pfeiffer Jensen
  • Thomas Adelsten
  • Ada Colic
  • Kamilla Danebod
  • Malene Kildemand
  • Anne Gitte Loft
  • Heidi Lausten Munk
  • Jens Kristian Pedersen
  • René Drage Østgård
  • Christian Møller Sørensen
  • Niels Steen Krogh
  • Jette Nørgaard Agerbo
  • Connie Ziegler
  • Hetland, Merete Lund

Objective. To explore anxiety and self-isolation in patients with inflammatory rheumatic disease (IRD)15 months into the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, including attitudes toward and effects of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Methods. A nationwide online survey was conducted at 3 timepoints: May 2020, November 2020, and May 2021. Patients with IRD followed in the Danish Rheumatology Quality Registry (DANBIO) were asked about the effects of the pandemic, including SARS-CoV-2 infection and their behavior, anxiety, and concerns. The May 2021 survey included attitudes toward SARS-CoV-2 and influenza vaccination. Characteristics associated with self-isolation in May 2021 were explored with adjusted logistic regression analyses that included patient characteristics and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status. Results. Respondents to surveys 1, 2, and 3 included 12,789; 14,755; and 13,921 patients, respectively; 64% had rheumatoid arthritis and 63% were female. Anxiety and concerns were highest in May 2020 and decreased to stable levels in November 2020 and May 2021; 86%, 50%, and 52% of respondents reported self-isolation, respectively. In May 2021, 4% of respondents self-reported previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. The SARS-CoV-2 vaccine acceptance rate was 86%, and the proportion of patients vaccinated against influenza had increased from 50% in winter 2019-2020 to 64% in winter 2020-2021. The proportion of patients with anxiety appeared similar among those vaccinated and unvaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. In multivariable analyses, being unvaccinated, female gender, receiving biologic drugs, and poor quality of life were independently associated with self-isolation. Conclusion. Levels of anxiety and self-isolation decreased after the initial lockdown period in patients with IRD. Half of the patients reported self-isolation in May 2021, a phase that included widespread reopening of society and large-scale vaccination. The lack of prepandemic data prevented a full understanding of the long-term effects of the pandemic on anxiety and self-isolation in patients with IRD.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Rheumatology
Volume49
Issue number10
Pages (from-to)1163-1172
Number of pages10
ISSN0315-162X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Journal of Rheumatology.

    Research areas

  • autoimmune diseases, disease outbreaks, registries, rheumatic diseases, vaccines

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