ABSTRACT

The novel coronaviruses disease, namely COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has spread worldwide and resulted in a crucial global health problem. Various studies and meta-analyses have demonstrated that chronic disease, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, are considered as risk factors for the disease severity, poor prognosis, and mortality in COVID-19. Although the exact reasons for the association between these comorbidities and disease severity and mortality risk of COVID-19 have not clarified, immune dysregulation and hyperinflammation in these chronic diseases might be contributing factors to the progression of the COVID-19. Furthermore, most of the patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatologic disease have the impairment of immune system and inflammatory response due to underlying pathogenesis of their diseases, and thus they might be prone to SARS-CoV-2 infection. We have focused the attention on most common chronic diseases frequently observed in COVID-19 and rheumatologic diseases which may be related to infection and their association with course of COVID-19.