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Background: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are perceived to be more vulnerable to worse COVID-19 infection outcome Furthermore, severe shortage in hydroxychloroquine supply was experienced Objective: We presented the psychological responses of Filipino SLE and RA patients to the COVID-19 pandemic and shortage of hydroxychloroquine supply Methods: A total of 512 completed online surveys from SLE and RA patients were gathered from May 19 to 26, 2020 The online survey collected data on socio-demographics, health status, contact history, health service utilization, use of hydroxychloroquine, COVID-19 knowledge and concerns, precautionary measures, information needs, the validated Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) ratings Results: The psychological impact of COVID-19 outbreak was at least moderate in 20% The mean IES-R score was higher among SLE (22 34, SD=14 39) than RA (18 85, SD=13 24) patients Stress, anxiety and depression were moderate to severe in 12 3%, 38 7%, and 27 7% of respondents The mean stress subscale score was 10 11 (SD=7 95), mean anxiety subscale score was 6 79 (SD=6 57) and mean depression subscale score was 9 03 (SD=8 77) The risk factors for adverse mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic include the presence of comorbidity of hypertension and asthma;being a healthcare worker;and presence of specific symptoms of myalgia, cough, breathing difficulty, dizziness and sore throat The protective factors for mental health during the pandemic include satisfaction with available health information and wearing of face masks Conclusion: In the third month of the pandemic in the Philippines, 20% of the respondents with lupus and RA experienced moderate to severe psychological impact There was moderate to severe anxiety in 38 7% and moderate to severe depression in 27% Identification of factors that affect mental health in lupus and RA is useful in implementation of effective psychological support strategies © 2020 Tee et al
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