Psoriasis Risk Up With COVID-19

An increased risk for psoriasis, along with a number of other autoimmune and autoinflammatory disorders, is associated with COVID-19 infection, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Sung Ha Lim, MD, and colleagues examined the incidences and risks for autoimmune and autoinflammatory connective tissue disorders after COVID-19 in a retrospective population-based study. The analyses included 354,527 individuals with COVID-19 and more than 6 million controls. In addition to psoriasis, the severity of COVID-19 was associated with the risks for alopecia totalis, vitiligo, vasculitis, Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, adult-onset Still disease, Sjögren syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, and sarcoidosis. “Our study comprehensively investigated the risks of autoimmune and autoinflammatory connective tissue disorders in patients with COVID-19 compared with controls, highlighting these disorders as potential post-COVID-19 sequelae,” the study authors reported. “Long-term management of patients with COVID-19 should include evaluation of subsequent development of autoimmune and autoinflammatory connective tissue disorders.”