Autoimmune Diseases and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)
COVID-19 has changed virtually every aspect of our daily lives—how we work, how we live, how we communicate, how we interact with one another, and how we receive medical care. A global healthcare crisis doesn’t change the fact that patients need healthcare and lab testing services for conditions unrelated to COVID-19. A new study reports ambulatory visits have dropped by nearly 60% during the COVID-19 pandemic1—and this may lead to devastating downstream medical consequences for patients who may have deferred medical care2,3.
Getting back to care is of paramount importance for you and your patients. Similar to the elevated risk for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and related complications in patients with preexisting medical conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseas, individuals with autoimmune diseases may also face some risks related to their condition4 and the nature of their treatment. If you have patients with symptoms of autoimmune disease that have yet to be definitively diagnosed, Quest Diagnostics specializes in testing for autoimmune disease, offering tests for the many different antibodies that are associated with Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases (ARDs) and other autoimmune diseases. Panels are also available to assist in rapidly ruling in or ruling out certain conditions. For example, the ANA IFA with Reflex to Titer and Reflex to Multiplex 11 Ab Cascade plus IdentRA® panel assists in the diagnosis of the more common ARDs, including the following:
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- Sjögren syndrome
- Polymyositis
- Systemic sclerosis
- Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD)
- CREST (calcinosis, Raynaud phenomenon, esophageal dysmotility, sclerodactyly, and telangiectasia) syndrome
- Neuropsychiatric SLE
Quest also offers individual tests for the panel components, as well as more focused panels for diagnosis of ARDs.
Additional information about the ANA IFA with Reflex to Titer and Reflex to Multiplex 11 Ab Cascade plus IdentRA® panel can be found here.
Recognizing the special needs of these vulnerable patients, Quest Diagnostics now offers special VIP-level access for your immunocompromised patients at our Patient Service Centers (PSCs). The new Peace of Mind program enables them to get the non–COVID-19 lab testing they need in an environment that’s designed to minimize patients' interactions. Through this program, immunocompromised patients and others that have increased risk of unfavorable outcomes from COVID-19 have special access to our PSCs during the first hour of each day. When in-office testing is not an option, your local Quest Diagnostics PSCs can provide the testing that you and your at-risk patients need.
With our comprehensive list of autoimmune testing available, Quest can give you the insights you need to help you and your patients make informed decisions about the appropriate care/treatment path. To help in meeting your patients’ testing needs in these challenging times, visit Clinical.QuestDiagnostics.com/Autoimmune-Disease. And for details on Quest’s SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) national testing response, please visit QuestDiagnostics.com/home/Covid-19/HCP/.
References
- Mehrotra A, Chernew M, Linetsky D, Hatch H, Cutler D. The Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on outpatient visits: a rebound emerges. The Commonwealth Fund. Published May 19, 2020. Accessed August 17, 2020. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/2020/apr/impactcovid-19-outpatient-visits.
- Grande R. Effects of Postponing Essential Care Due to COVID-19. Definitive Healthcare Blog. https://blog.definitivehc.com/effects-of-postponing-essential-care-due-to-covid-19. Published August 26, 2020. Accessed August 28, 2020.
- Rodriguez T. Q&A: Overview of COVID-19 in Patients With Autoimmune Diseases. Rheumatology Advisor. https://www.rheumatologyadvisor.com/home/general-rheumatology/qa-overview-of-covid19-in-patients-with-autoimmune-diseases/. Published June 18, 2020. Accessed August 28, 2020.
- Williamson E, Walker AJ, Bhaskaran KJ, et al. OpenSAFELY: factors associated with COVID-19-related hospital death in the linked electronic health records of 17 million adult NHS patients. medRxiv. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.05.06.20092999v1. Published January 1, 2020. Accessed August 28, 2020.
Content reviewed 9/2020