Len Harty Rheumatologist

Rapid access rheumatology reviews available with GP referral

You are 20 times less likely to get COVID after vaccination with 0.02% (1/10,000) risk of a bad reaction to the vaccine.

Arthritis patients on drugs for arthritis are at no higher risk of hospitalisation from COVID than the rest of the population.

Are Steroid or Non Steroid Immunosuppressants worse for infection ? Chronic steroids are worse for infection than non steroid immunosuppressants. @ Cork

Will my anti inflammatories increase my risk of severe coronavirus infection?
Concerns have been raised from a letter written to a scientific journal that anti-inflammatories might make people have worse infections from the coronavirus. There has been no evidence to support this and the author was just discussing a point.
This has been rejected by the food and drugs authority of the USA and It has also been rejected by the health service executive in Ireland.

https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/media/pressrel/advice-about-anti-inflammatory-medication-and-covid-19.html

People who need anti-inflammatories and have no other option for an effective painkiller should take their tablets as normal. @ Cork

https://youtu.be/RcI8S0qeqVY.

EULAR Guidance for patients with RMDs about COVID-19 outbreak (update) An update (17 March 2020) on the EULAR Guidance for patients with RMDs about COVID-19. Read the complete guidance: https://www.eular.org/eular_guidance_for_p...

Arthritis ireland advice for rheumatology patients during coronavirus pandemic

Immunosuppressant Medication and Coronavirus (Covid 19)

There is ambiguity as to whether or not patients on immunosuppressant medication have better survival from coronavirus infection.

Given that there is no immunity in the population to this virus, people on and off immunosuppressants, both have high risk of contracting the infection.

The health service executive has included immunocompromised people as being at risk of severe coronavirus infection.

Nonetheless, clinical trials are ongoing in other countries where it is considered that appropriate use of immunosuppressant medication is in fact life-saving for the small percentage of people who have a potentially fatal coronavirus infection.

In this instance, I am recommending that people continue on their current immunosuppressant medication and stop at the time of an infection.

Traditionally, we recommend that people hold immunosuppressant medication if and when they become infected, to facilitate their body fighting off the infection.

This does not apply to people who are on maintenance dose corticosteroids (prednisolone, Deltacortril, dexamethasone, et cetera) who will at least need to stay on their maintenance corticosteroid, if not increase the dose to a stress dose as advised by their doctor.

Videolink and telephone Rheumatology appointments during COVID 19 Coronavirus pandemic.

We are currently all appropriately worried about the COVID-19 pandemic and should keep a distance from one another until this pandemic is over.

Some patients will need face to face consultations during this time but a lot of patients might be able to avail of Videolink or telephone consultations which are available from this office.

If or when you are arriving for your consultation please let Martina know you have arrived and then either sit alone or in your car and we will contact you when we are ready if there is a delay.



If you would like to avail of video link or telephone consultation please ring the office at 021 6013365 or email us at [email protected]. For videolink we can either use FaceTime if you have an iPhone or Mac or use Skype or WhatsApp video calling if you have an android phone or PC. Telephone consultation requires only a functioning phone line.