Autoimmunity, Hydroxychloroquine, and SARS-C0V-2

Former Kansas Governor and physician Dr. Jeff Colyer discusses the use of hydroxycholoroquine in treating SARS-CoV-2 on March 29, 2020, in an article in the Wall Street Journal.  In fact, in his article, he reveals that "Kansas City area physicians, including Joe Brewer, Dan Hinthorn and [Dr. Colyer], continue to treat many patients, and some have shown improvement."  It is still early in the process of determining whether hydroxychloroquine, either alone or in combination with other drugs, might be an effective and safe treatment for SARS-CoV-2.  However, a large natural experiment involving the drug is currently under way among the many patients who have some autoimmune conditions:  hydroxychloroquine is already in wide use to treat malaria, as well as "to treat discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus)...[and also] to treat acute and chronic rheumatoid arthritis."  It could be revealing for medical science to watch the rate and course of infection by SARS-CoV-2 in patients already taking hydroxychloroquine to treat other medical conditions.