• Bente Glintborg, Dorte Vendelbo Jensen, Sara Engel, Lene Terslev, Mogens Pfeiffer Jensen, Oliver Hendricks, Mikkel Ostergaard, Simon Horskjær Rasmussen, Thomas Adelsten, Ada Colic, Kamilla Danebod, Malene Kildemand, Anne Gitte Loft, Heidi Lausten Munk, Jens Kristian Pedersen, René Drage Østgård, Christian Møller Sørensen, Niels Steen Krogh, Jette Agerbo, Connie Ziegler, and Merete Hetland.
• DANBIO and Copenhagen Center for Arthritis Research (COPECARE), Center for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases, Centre of Head and Orthopedics, Rigshospitalet Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark glintborg@dadlnet.dk.
• RMD Open. 2021 Jan 1; 7 (1).

AimsIn Danish patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases to explore self-protection strategies and health behaviour including adherence to disease-modifying antirheumatic treatment (DMARD) during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and again after the reopening of the society started. Furthermore, to identify characteristics of patients with high levels of anxiety and self-isolation.MethodsPatients in routine care followed prospectively in the nationwide DANBIO registry were invited to answer an online questionnaire regarding disease activity and COVID-19 infection, behaviour in March and June 2020. Responses were linked to patient data in DANBIO. Characteristics potentially associated with anxiety, self-isolation and medication adherence (gender/age/diagnosis/education/work status/comorbidity/DMARD/smoking/EQ-5D/disease activity) were explored with multivariable logistic regression analyses.ResultsWe included 12 789 patients (8168 rheumatoid arthritis/2068 psoriatic arthritis/1758 axial spondyloarthritis/795 other) of whom 65% were women and 36% treated with biological DMARD. Self-reported COVID-19 prevalence was 0.3%. Patients reported that they were worried to get COVID-19 infection (March/June: 70%/45%) and self-isolated more than others of the same age (48%/38%). The fraction of patients who changed medication due to fear of COVID-19 were 4.1%/0.6%. Female gender, comorbidities, not working, lower education, biological treatment and poor European Quality of life, 5 dimensions were associated with both anxiety and self-isolation.ConclusionIn >12 000 patients with inflammatory arthritis, we found widespread anxiety and self-isolation, but high medication adherence, in the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. This persisted during the gradual opening of society during the following months. Attention to patients' anxiety and self-isolation is important during this and potential future epidemics.© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

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