Obstetric outcomes in women with rheumatic disease and COVID-19 in the context of vaccination status.

OBJECTIVE: To describe obstetric outcomes based on COVID-19 vaccination status, in women with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) who developed COVID-19 during pregnancy. METHODS: Data regarding pregnant women entered into the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance registry from 24 March 2020-25 February 2022 were analysed. Obstetric outcomes were stratified by number of COVID-19 vaccine doses received prior to COVID-19 infection in pregnancy. Descriptive differences between groups were tested using the chi-squared or Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: There were 73 pregnancies in 73 women with RMD and COVID-19. Overall, 24.7% (18) of pregnancies were ongoing, while of the 55 completed pregnancies, 90.9% (50) of pregnancies resulted in livebirths. At the time of COVID-19 diagnosis, 60.3% (n = 44) of women were unvaccinated, 4.1% (n = 3) had received one vaccine dose while 35.6% (n = 26) had two or more doses. Although 83.6% (n = 61) of women required no treatment for COVID-19, 20.5% (n = 15) required hospital admission. COVID-19 resulted in delivery in 6.8% (n = 3) of unvaccinated women and 3.8% (n = 1) of fully vaccinated women. There was a greater number of preterm births (PTB) in unvaccinated women compared with fully vaccinated 29.5% (n = 13) vs 18.2% (n = 2). CONCLUSIONS: In this descriptive study, unvaccinated pregnant women with RMD and COVID-19 had a greater number of PTB compared with those fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Additionally, the need for COVID-19 pharmacological treatment was uncommon in pregnant women with RMD regardless of vaccination status. These results support active promotion of COVID-19 vaccination in women with RMD who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy.

[Pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis]. / Patogeneza reumatoidnog artritisa.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune systemic disease that primarily affects joints. Etiology and the pathogenesis of RA are complex, involving many types of cells, among others macrophages, T and B cells, fibro- blasts, chondrocytes and dendritic cells. Despite well documented role of many genes and epigenetic modifications in the development and evolution of the disease, in most RA patients there is no clear predisposing factor present. Environmental factors involved in RA pathogenesis are cigarette smoke, industrial pollutants like silica crystals, disturbances of intestinal, lung, and oral microbiota and some specific bacterial and viral infectious agents and their components. In the initial disease stage there are qualitative and quantitative disturbances ofpeptide citrulination as well as other protein modifications, followed by antigen presenting cell (APC) (macrophages and dendritic cells) and fibroblast like synoviocytes (FLS) activation. Some microbes foster this processes by APC and FLS direct and indirect activation. In the second stage APC's elicit specific humoral B cell re- sponse resulting in specific antibodies production and T cell autoreactivity. Inherited and acquired defects in T and B cell responses caused by repeated activation of innate immunity as well as loss of tolerance, elicit chronic autoimmune inflammation, primarily of synovial membranes, and development of cellular panus. Pathologic activation of the osteoclasts and release of the immune system effector molecules and the proteolytic enzymes damage the cartilage, bone and tendons composition and structure. Persistent inflammation through its complex mechanisms results in many systemic and extraarticular RA manifestations of almost all organ systems, resulting in severe complications and comorbidities such as rheumatoid lung, carditis, vasculitis, cahexia, anemia, accelerated atherosclerosis, myocardial and cerebrovascular vascular disease, lymphoma, osteoporosis, depression etc. Accumulated complications and comorbidities finally result in handicap, social dysfunction and premature death.