21 August 2021
BSR member Dr Megan Rutter has released new new research, financed by our , showing that people with rare autoimmune rheumatic diseases are at an increased risk of developing COVID-19 and subsequently dying from it.
They study, which looked at nearly 170,000 people in England with rare autoimmune rheumatic diseases, found that this population was 54% more likely to test positive for COVID-19. The research also revealed that COVID-19-related deaths were 2.4 times more likely than for people in the general population when age was taken into account.
Dr Rutter said: 鈥淭hese findings are particularly important as recently published data show that people who are immunosuppressed... can have lower levels of protection from COVID-19 vaccination due to a weaker immune response.
"It is now vital that the health of people with these conditions is made a specific priority in public health policy, particularly now all restrictions have been lifted and community infection rates are high.鈥�
Our President Dr Sanjeev Patel added: 鈥淏SR continues to support researchers in understanding the impact of COVID-19 on health outcomes in people with rare rheumatic conditions.鈥�
Paul Howard, Chief Executive of LUPUS UK, said: "We hope these findings encourage employers and policymakers to take additional measures to safeguard people living with these diseases."
You too could secure funding for your 香港六合彩直播开奖 research; make sure you apply for the next Research Funding Call, opening on 23 September.