COVID-19 infection in a patient with FMF: does colchicine have a protective effect?

Abstract

We read with great interest the report by Monti et al on the 320 rheumatic patients treated with various disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in the era of COVID-19 infection.1 They suggest that patients with chronic arthritis receiving MARDs may not have an increased risk of severe COVID-19. We agree that patients under DMARD treatment should be closely monitored since data are lacking. Also, we hypothesise that some DMARDs (especially colchicine) may protect rheumatic atients from COVID-19 or perhaps cause them to pass in a milder form of the isease. COVID-19 is not just a simple viral infection; it is an autoinflammatory/autoimmune process that develops as a result of immune system dysfunction, cytokine release syndrome and haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.2 Herein we reported COVID-19 infection in a patient with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) under treatment with colchicine.