Antimalarial and Covid 19 in Rheumatoid Arthritis

The antimalarial agent hydroxychloroquine(HCQ) have been used widely used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.(1) . These compounds lead to improvement of clinical and laboratory parameters, but their slow onset of action differ them from glucocorticoids and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents.

Among rheumatic diseases, the primary role of HCQ is in the management of articular and skin manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the treatment of mild to moderately active rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

It is difficult to carefully evaluate the onslaught of information that has emerged regarding potential COVID-19 therapies within a few months' time in early 2020. A brief but detailed approach regarding how to evaluate resulting evidence of a study has been presented by F. Perry Wilson, MD, MSCE. By using the example of a case series of patients given hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin, he provides clinicians with a quick review of critical analyses.