Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Pandemics, Paid Sick Leaves, And Tax Institutions, Alex Zhang

Faculty Articles

The COVID-19 pandemic is currently ravaging the world, and the United States has been largely unsuccessful at containing the coronavirus. One long-standing policy failure stands out as having exacerbated the pandemic in our country: the lack of a national mandate of paid sick leaves, without which workers face financial and workplace-cultural pressures to attend work while sick, thus spreading the virus to their fellow employees and the public at large.

This Article provides the blueprint for a national, subsidized mandate of paid sick leaves and two additional insights about our tax institutions as mechanisms of effectuating broader societal goals. It …

Getting Real: The Maryland Healthcare Ethics Committee Network’S Covid‑19 Working Group Debriefs Lessons Learned, Norton Elson, Howard Gwon, Diane Hoffmann, Adam M. Kelmenson, Ahmed Khan, Joanne F. Kraus, Casmir C. Onyegwara, Gail Povar, Fatima Sheikh, Anita J. Tarzian

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Covid-19 Infection In Hypertensive Patients In Correlation With Race, Elizabeth Durkin

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Disparities in healthcare exist in the U.S., particularly between different racial categories. This study investigated the frequency of COVID-19 cases and hypertension cases among five different racial groups (White, Black, Asian, Native American, and Native Hawaiian). The study also examined the correlation between COVID-19 and hypertension. It was hypothesized that, because of genetic predisposition to certain diseases and existing socioeconomic barriers, Black populations would have the highest rates of both COVID-19 and hypertension. It was also proposed that a positive correlation exists between COVID-19 and hypertension frequency. To test this, the Kaiser Family Foundation's data for COVID-19 cases and race …

Educating Nursing Students Through The Pandemic: The Essentials Of Collaboration, Audrey M. Beauvais, Meredith Kazer, Lisa M. Rebeschi, Rosemarie Baker, Jeanette H. Lupinacci

St. Vincent’s College Faculty publications

Introduction: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, meeting regulatory educational requirements and graduating students competent for nursing practice was essential. Competent graduates were needed to support a strong nursing workforce in Connecticut during this chaotic time in health care. This paper describes the powerful impact of statewide collaboration toward meeting this goal.

Methods: The Connecticut League for Nursing Council of Deans and Directors (Council) organized six work groups to address the practice issues brought about by COVID-19 to continue educating nursing students and ensure a robust nursing workforce for the state. Volunteers from the Council offered to lead the groups and members …

Tocilizumab And Covid-19: A Meta-Analysis Of 2120 Patients With Severe Disease Andimplications For Clinical Trial Methodologies, Azza Sarfraz, Zouina Sarfraz, Muzna Sarfraz, Hinna Aftab, Zainab Pervaiz

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, numerous therapies to counteract this severe disease have emerged. The benefits of Tocilizumab for severely infected COVID-19 patients and the methodologies of ongoing clinical trials are explored. Materials and methods: A systematic search adhering to PRISMA guidelines was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Central, medRxiv, and bioRxiv using the following keywords: "Tocilizumab," "Actemra," "COVID-19." An additional subsearch was conducted on Clinicaltrials.gov to locate ongoing tocilizumab trials. Results: A total of 13 studies were included in the meta-analysis comprising 2120 patients. The treatment group had lower mortality compared to the control group (OR = 0.42, …

Treatment Of Sars-Cov-2 Pneumonia With Favipiravir: Early Results From The Egeuniversity Cohort, Turkey, Hüseyi̇n Aytaç Erdem, Pervi̇n Korkmaz Ekren, Derya Çağlayan, Meltem Taşbakan, Tansu Yamazhan, Mehmet Sezai̇ Taşbakan, Abdullah Sayiner, Ayşe Deni̇z Gökengi̇n

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: The aim of this descriptive article is to share the experience in Ege University, Turkey with favipiravir in the treatment of severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. Materials and methods: This retrospective descriptive study included patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who presented with or developed severe pneumonia. Results: Forty patients who completed a full course (at least 5 days) of favipiravir were included in the study. At baseline, 30 (75%) patients required treatment for respiratory distress. Thirty-three patients (82.5%) were discharged from the hospital with full recovery, 6 patients (15%) died and 1 case (2.5%) was still at the intensive care unit (ICU) …

A Sensitive Indicator For The Severity Of Covid-19: Thiol, Özcan Erel, Sali̇m Neşeli̇oğlu, Merve Ergi̇n Tunçay, Esra Firat Oğuz, Funda Eren, Meryem Sena Akkuş, Hati̇ce Rahmet Güner, İhsan Ateş

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Thiol status is a good reflector of the cellular redox and have vital roles in various cellular signaling pathways. The purpose of the study was to investigate thiol status in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Materials and methods: A total of 587 subjects (517 patients/70 healthy controls) were enrolled in the study.The patients were categorized into the groups regarding to the severity of disease (mild, moderate, severe, and critical).Thiol status of all groups were compared. Results: The patients had significantly diminished thiol levels compared to controls. Thiol levels were gradually decreased as the severity of the disease increased. Logistic regression …

Evaluation Of Systemic Involvement Of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Through Spleen; Size Andtexture Analysis, Abdussamet Batur, Abi̇di̇n Kilinçer, Fati̇h Ateş, Nazlim Aktuğ Demi̇r, Recai̇ Ergün

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: To investigate the changes in the spleen size, parenchymal heterogeneity, and computed tomography (CT) texture analysis features of patients diagnosed with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Materials and methods: The size and parenchymal structure of the spleen in 91 patients who underwent thoracic CT examination due to COVID-19 were evaluated. For the evaluation of parenchymal heterogeneity, CT texture analysis was performed using dedicated software (Olea Medical, France). The texture analysis of each case consisted of 15 first-order intensity-based features, 17 gray level cooccurrence matrix-based features, and 9 gray level run length matrix-based features. Results: A total of 91 patients (45 …

How Safe Are Children With Covid-19 From Cardiac Risks? Pediatric Risk Assesment;Insights From Echoc, Berna Şaylan Çevi̇k, Şule Arici, Zeynep Ergenç, Eda Kepenekli̇ Kadayi̇fci̇, Özge Günal, Nurhayat Yakut

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Approximately 40 million individuals worldwide have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Despite the current literature about the cardiac effects of COVID-19 in children, more information is required. We aimed to determine both cardiovascular and arrhythmia assessment via electrocardiographic and echocardiographic parameters. Materials and methods: We evaluated seventy children who were hospitalized with COVID-19 infections and seventy children as normal control group through laboratory findings, electrocardiography (ECG), and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). Results: We observed significantly increased levels of Tp-Te, Tp-Te/QT, and Tp-Te/QTc compared with the control group. Twenty-five of 70 (35.7%) patients …

Current Community Transmission And Future Perspectives On The Covid-19 Process, Seyhan Türk, Can Türk, Ümi̇t Yavuz Malkan, Eli̇f Sena Temi̇rci̇, Mustafa Çağri Peker, İbrahi̇m Celaletti̇n Haznedaroğlu

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: COVID-19 syndrome due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus is a currently challenging situation ongoing worldwide. Since the current pandemic of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is a great concern for everybody in the World, the frequently asked question is how and when the COVID-19 process will be concluded. The aim of this paper is to propose hypotheses in order to answer this essential question. As recently demonstrated, SARS-CoV-2 RNAs can be reverse-transcribed and integrated into the human genome. Our main hypothesis is that the ultimate aim of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is the incorporation to human genome and being an element of the …

Treatment Approaches For Managing Patients With Hematological Malignancies In Thetime Of Covid-19 Pandemic, Güldane Cengi̇z Seval, Pervi̇n Topçuoğlu, Taner Demi̇rer

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: The COVID-19 pandemic is a unique challenge to the care of patients with hematological malignancies. We aim to provide supportive guidance to clinicians making individual patients decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular during periods that access to healthcare resources may be limited. Conclusion: This review also provides recommendations, which are convenient in evaluating indications for therapy, reducing therapy-associated immunosuppression, and reducing healthcare utilization in patients with specific hematological malignancies in the COVID-19 era. Specific decisions regarding treatment of hematological malignancies will need to be individualized, based on disease risk, risk of immunosuppression, rates of community transmission of SARS-CoV-2, …

Which Hematological Markers Have Predictive Value As Early Indicators Of Severecovid-19 Cases In The Emergency Department?, İshak Şan, Emi̇n Gemci̇oğlu, Mehmet Davutoğlu, Rami̇s Çatalbaş, Berkan Karabuğa, Enes Kaptan, Abdulsamet Erden, Orhan Küçükşahi̇n, İhsan Ateş, Selma Karaahmetoğlu, İmran Hasanoğlu, Osman İnan, Büşra Nur Ünal, Ecem Erdemi̇r, Fati̇h Ahmet Kahraman

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a pandemic infectious disease that causes morbidity and mortality. As a result of high mortality rate among the severe COVID-19 patients, the early detection of the disease stage and early effective interventions are very important in reducing mortality. Hence, it is important to differentiate severe and nonsevere cases from each other. To date, there are no proven diagnostic or prognostic parameters that can be used in this manner. Due to the expensive and not easily accessible tests that are performed for COVID-19, researchers are investigating …

The Analysis Of Pleural Complications Of Covid-19 Pneumonia, Merve Şatir Türk, Irmak Akarsu, İsmai̇l Tombul, Aykut Kankoç, Nur Di̇lvi̇n Özkan, Elgun Valiyev, Muhammet Sayan, Ali̇ Çeli̇k, İsmai̇l Cüneyt Kurul, Olgun Kadi̇r Aribaş, Abdullah İrfan Taştepe

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: As the number of case reports related to the new type of coronavirus (COVID-19) increases, knowledge of and experience with the virus and its complications also increase. Pleural complications are one relevant issue. We aimed in this study to analyze pleural complications, such as pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, and empyema, in patients hospitalized with the diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia. Materials and methods: The files of patients who have pleural complications of COVID-19 pneumonia and were consulted about thoracic surgery between March 2020 and December 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. The data of the patients were analyzed according to age, sex, length of …

Correlation Of Neuroimaging And Thorax Ct Findings In Patients With Covid-19:A Large Single-Center Experience, Hedi̇ye Pinar Günbey, Günay Rona, Özge Adigüzel Karaoysal, Ayşe Batirel, Banu Özen Barut

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: The aim of this current study was to describe the neuroimaging findings among patients with COVID-19 and to compare them with thorax CT imaging findings and clinicobiological profiles. Materials and methods: Between the period March 11 and December 31, 2020, we evaluated brain computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) images of patients with COVID-19. A total of 354 patients (mean age 65.2 ± 16.6, 52% female, 42% male) who had brain imaging were included in the study. Of this total sample, 218 had thorax CT scanning (65.5%). Neuroimaging and thorax CT findings, clinical course, neurologic findings, and laboratory …

Decrease Of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction In Severe Illness Patients Due To Covid-19may Improve As The Disease Resolves, Aykut Demi̇rkiran, Lütfi̇ Çağatay Onar, Mustafa Doğan

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: Increase in publications supporting myocardial involvement in the COVID-19 disease has led to need to gain insight into the the global burden of heart failure after pandemic. We examined the course of myocardial systolic function in patients without elevated troponin levels. Materials and methods: We performed a prospective study. Patients with high troponin levels were excluded from the study in order to definitively exclude complications known to cause permanent left ventricular systolic dysfunction, such as acute coronary syndromes. Two echocardiographic examinations were performed. The first evaluation was performed within the days of hospitalization, if possible, on the day when …

Remote Supported Communication For Adults With Chronic Aphasia: A Serendipitous Study, Allie Hopper

Theses and Dissertations--Communication Sciences and Disorders

Supported communication is defined as anything that improves access to or participation in communication events or activities (King, Simmons-Mackie, & Beukelman, 2012). This thesis describes the results of a study that took place when a training program to provide graduate students in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) with “hands on” experience in providing supported communication to persons with chronic aphasia (PWA) was interrupted by the outbreak of Coronavirus-19 and switched to a remote delivery format to fulfil service and training obligations to the PWA and the CSD graduate students respectively. The study (1) describes the actions taken to covert a …

Communicating About Covid-19: Strategies For Promoting Risk-Reducing Behaviors On Facebook, Liz Scharnetzki, Nikki Jarvais, Elizabeth Rintz, Leo Waterston, David Pied, Paul Han

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2021

Introduction- Controlling the COVID-19 pandemic requires effective public health communication strategies that can promote risk-reducing behaviors despite scientific uncertainties about their effectiveness. The current project developed and tested different theory-based communication strategies for generating public interest in COVID-19 risk-reducing behaviors. • Assessed the efficacy of two novel message frames – destigmatizing and uncertainty normalizing - relative to existing strategies

A Period Seroprevalence (Sars-Cov-2) Survey In Mhccn Cancer Healthcare Workers (Hcws) Providing Patient Care During The Height Of The Outbreak: A Registry Study (Initial Progress), Jill Prescott, Caroline Knight, Erin Hobart, Jamie Saunders, Kimberly Caron, Sandra Neptune, Patty Brown, Lisa Lemire, Anne Breggia, Susan L. Guierin-Staples, Lee Lucas, Paul Han, Rachit Kumar, Robert Carlson, Scot Remick

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2021

Introduction: There is little information on the basic epidemiologic and serologic profile(s) of the novel SARSCoV- 2 coronavirus especially in HCWs employed in rural settings. We embarked on a period seroprevalence study in the MaineHealth Cancer Network (MHCCN) to document Covid-19 exposure in our rural cancer care workforce. Our fundamental hypothesis is that despite implementing procedures to safeguard patients and the use of appropriate PPE in the care of known source patients/PUIs in both the inpatient and outpatient cancer care settings a small, but not insignificant number of cancer care providers (hereafter referred to as cancer HCWs) will have evidence …

Exploration Of Telemedicine For The Delivery Of Substance Use Disorder Treatment During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Rebecca Bell, Hannah Loeb, Michael Kohut, Eric Anderson, Kinna Thakarar, Rebecca Hutchinson

Costas T. Lambrew Research Retreat 2021

No abstract provided.

Rapid Transition Of An Allied Health Clinic To Telehealth During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Satisfaction And Experience Of Health Professionals, Student Practitioners, And Patients, Michelle A. Krahe, Maya Conway, Simone Howells, Kara Roffey, Sheena Reilly

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: With COVID-19 social distancing measures requiring a shift in how healthcare is delivered, telehealth service provision allows patients to receive care remotely while adhering to relevant safety regulations. This study investigated the perceptions and experiences of allied health practitioners and their patients at a multidisciplinary allied health clinic that rapidly transitioned to telehealth service delivery. Method: Allied health practitioners (both qualified and student) and patients were recruited during the transition to telehealth across a large healthcare facility located on the Gold Coast, Australia. Participants were surveyed after each telehealth session rating their satisfaction and experience across four areas (technical, …

Campus Recreation And Fitness Center Utilization During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Keagan Kiely, William A. Mase, Bridget F. Melton, Haresh Rochani

Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association

Background

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has far reaching effects for college students' health and physical activity behaviors. This analysis focuses on university student fitness center usage pre and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers hypothesized a reduction in fitness center utilization when comparing Fall 2019 to Fall 2020 utilization rates.

Methods

Patterns of the recreation center and fitness center utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic are compared to pre-pandemic patterns of a matched time period in the previous academic year in an observational study. Overall utilization was evaluated using secondary data from the university’s recreation center data system. Six weeks …

J Mich Dent Assoc January 2021

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Every month, The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association brings news, information, and features about Michigan dentistry to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 6,200+ members. No publication reaches more Michigan dentists!

In this issue, the reader will find the following original content:

• A cover story on “The Dentist’s Role in Recognizing Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Children”.
• A feature article, “Dental Sleep Medicine Education: Do You Want a Nap or a Full Night’s Sleep?”.
• The feature article, “In-office Plans: Where Are We Now? What Have We Learned?”
• News you need, Editorial and regular department articles on MDA Foundation activities, …

Philippine Medicinal Plants With Potential Immunomodulatory And Anti-Sars-Cov-2 Activities, Fabian M. Dayrit, Armando M. Guidote Jr, Nina Gloriani, Sheriah Laine M. De Paz-Silava, Irene M. Villaseñor, Rene Angelo S. Macahig, Mario A. Tan, John Ross N. Chua, Isidro C. Sia

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to devastate the world’s health and economy, affecting all aspects of life leading to widespread social disruption. Even as several vaccines have been developed, their availability in developing countries is limited and their efficacy against the variants of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome–coronavirus 2) needs to be continuously assessed. The World Health Organization (WHO) has acknowledged that vaccines alone will not overcome the global challenges of COVID-19. Medicinal plants may provide the needed support. Herein, we identify Philippine medicinal plants that possess phytochemicals with potential anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity and/or immunomodulatory properties that may strengthen one’s immune …

"Who Can Help Me?'': Knowledge Infused Matching Of Support Seekers And Support Providers During Covid-19 On Reddit, Manas Gaur, Kaushik Roy, Aditya Sharma, Biplav Srivastava, Amit Sheth

Publications

During the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, subreddits on Reddit, such as r/Coronavirus saw a rapid growth in user's requests for help (support seekers - SSs) including individuals with varying professions and experiences with diverse perspectives on care (support providers - SPs). Currently, knowledgeable human moderators match an SS with a user with relevant experience, i.e, an SP on these subreddits. This unscalable process defers timely care. We present a medical knowledge-infused approach to efficient matching of SS and SPs validated by experts for the users affected by anxiety and depression, in the context of with COVID-19. After matching, each SP to …

Healthcare Professionals And Telehealth Usability During Covid-19, Jing Xu, Hanadi Y. Hamadi, Kristen K. Hicks-Roof, Robert J. Zeglin, Chloe E. Bailey, Mei Zhao

UNF Faculty Research and Scholarship

Objective: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many other health providers needed to rapidly adopt telehealth services to ensure continuity of patient care, without the opportunity to extensively evaluate the usability of the adopted technology. Therefore, this study aims to examine health professionals’ telehealth usability during COVID-19 in Florida.

Design: This cross-sectional study employed the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) to licensed healthcare providers in Florida in June 2020.

Setting and Participants: A total of 399,660 selected health professionals with Florida licensure were recruited from open-access Florida healthcare to participate in a Qualtrics web-based survey. A total of 1,868 health …

Lived Experiences Of Nurses Caring For Limited English Proficient Patients During A Pandemic, Thomas Cain

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study addressed the need to better understand how a patient’s healthcare is influenced by lack of health literacy for limited English proficient patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. While registered nurses are a key component in the patient care continuum, there is a lack of evidence to understand the experiences caring for this vulnerable population during a pandemic. Framed by Roy’s adaptation model and Orem’s self-care deficit nursing theory, the purpose of this interpretative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of registered nurses who cared for limited English patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2020. Seven registered nurses participated …

Short-Range Forecasting Of Covid-19 During Early Onset At County, Health District, And State Geographic Levels Using Seven Methods: Comparative Forecasting Study, Christopher Lynch, Ross Gore

VMASC Publications

BACKGROUND:

Forecasting methods rely on trends and averages of prior observations to forecast COVID-19 case counts. COVID-19 forecasts have received much media attention, and numerous platforms have been created to inform the public. However, forecasting effectiveness varies by geographic scope and is affected by changing assumptions in behaviors and preventative measures in response to the pandemic. Due to time requirements for developing a COVID-19 vaccine, evidence is needed to inform short-term forecasting method selection at county, health district, and state levels.

OBJECTIVE:

COVID-19 forecasts keep the public informed and contribute to public policy. As such, proper understanding of forecasting purposes …

Stroke Etiologies In Patients With Covid-19: The Svin Covid-19 Multinational Registry, María E. Ramos-Araque, James E. Siegler, Marc Ribo, Manuel Requena, Cristina López, Mercedes De Lera, Juan F. Arenillas, Isabel Hernández Pérez, Beatriz Gómez-Vicente, Ameer E. Hassan

School of Medicine Publications

Background and purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with a small but clinically significant risk of stroke, the cause of which is frequently cryptogenic. In a large multinational cohort of consecutive COVID-19 patients with stroke, we evaluated clinical predictors of cryptogenic stroke, short-term functional outcomes and inhospital mortality among patients according to stroke etiology.

Methods: We explored clinical characteristics and short-term outcomes of consecutively evaluated patients 18 years of age or older with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from 31 hospitals in 4 countries (3/1/20–6/16/20).

Results:Of the 14.483 laboratory-confirmed patients with COVID-19, 156 (1.1%) were diagnosed …

Are Youtube Videos In Turkish Useful As An Information Source For Dental Treatment During The Covid-19 Pandemic?, Gözde Işık, Meltem Özden Yüce

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Since the start of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, patients with dental conditions find it difficult to consult their physicians and to preserve the continuity of dental treatment. All routine appointments were suspended and postponed indefinitely so that infection control procedures could be administered. This study aimed to assess the value of Turkish videos for patients seeking information on dental treatments during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: Videos on YouTube were screened using the following keywords: ‘Coronavirus, diş tedavileri’, ‘COVID-19, diş tedavileri’ and ‘SARS-Cov-2, diş tedavileri’. The search results were limited to the first 100 videos. Videos were analysed independently …

Preferences Of Inflammatory Arthritis Patients For Biological Disease-Modifyingantirheumatic Drugs In The First 100 Days Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Umut Kalyoncu, Yavuz Pehli̇van, Servet Akar, Ti̇muçi̇n Kaşi̇foğlu, Gezmi̇ş Ki̇myon, Ömer Karadağ, Hüseyi̇n Edi̇z Dalkiliç, Ali̇ İhsan Ertenli̇, Levent Kiliç, Emi̇ne Duygu Ersözlü, Cemal Bes, Hakan Emmungi̇l, Ridvan Mercan, Eli̇f Edi̇boğlu, Ni̇lüfer Alpay Kanitez

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Background/aim: To evaluate treatment adherence and predictors of drug discontinuation among patients with inflammatory arthritis receiving bDMARDs within the first 100 days after the announcement of the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: A total of 1871 patients recorded in TReasure registry for whom advanced therapy was prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or spondyloarthritis (SpA) within the 3 months (6-9 months for rituximab) before the declaration of COVID-19 pandemic were evaluated, and 1394 (74.5%) responded to the phone survey. Patients' data regarding demographic, clinical characteristics and disease activity before the pandemic were recorded. The patients were inquired about the diagnosis of …