CAN-RECOVR

The CAnadian Network for REsearch on COVID-19 in Rheumatology (CAN-RECOVR) was established to improve the health of Canadians living with rheumatic disease. Our mission is to enhance Canadian collaborative research efforts to study COVID-19 and rheumatology.

Rheumatic Disease

Rheumatic diseases are a group of diseases that are inflammatory in nature. They are usually autoimmune, meaning that the body’s immune system attacks normal cells within the body. Common rheumatic diseases include arthritis, lupus, scleroderma and Sjogren's syndrome. Rheumatic diseases usually present additional challenges to patients including immunocompromising medications, co-morbidities, and abnormal immune function.

Mission

We believe that patients with rheumatic diseases represent a key vulnerable population who, if studied, will help us unlock some of the mysteries around COVID-19. This motivates the overarching aim of our collaborative efforts, which is to better understand COVID-19 in rheumatic diseases.

Objectives

1. To support Canadian cohort studies and other Canadian research initiatives related to COVID-19 and rheumatic disease

2. Define priority research questions related to COVID-19 and rheumatic disease

3. Harmonize multi-centre, multi-research network data collection on COVID-19 risk factors and outcomes across existing Canadian rheumatic disease cohorts

4. Conduct a workshop on COVID-19 and rheumatic disease as a forum for presentation and discussion on COVID-19 and rheumatic disease and foster collaboration and interdisciplinary research

Projects

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) shortages during COVID-19
Antimalarial drugs in arthritis patients exposed to COVID-19
How COVID-19 affects systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients

Publications

Mendel A, Bernatsky S, Thorne JC, et al. Hydroxychloroquine shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. Published Online First: 20 May 2020. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-217835

Mendel A, Bernatsky S, Askanase A, Bae SC, Clarke AE, Costedoat-Chalumeau N, Gladman DD, Gordon C, Hanly J, Jacobsen S, Kalunian K, Mak A, Mosca M, Pons-Estel BA, Ruiz-Irastorza G, Urowitz M, Vinet É. Hydroxychloroquine shortages among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus during the COVID-19 pandemic: experience of the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020 Jun 25:annrheumdis-2020-218164. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2020-218164. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32586918.