Systematic assessment of the humoral response against SARS-CoV-2 in a French cohort of 283 patients with rheumatic diseases

•The low seroprevalence against SARS-CoV-2 (2.83%) in patients with rheumatic disease and on immunosuppressive drugs indicates low immune protection in this population, demonstrating the importance of the vaccination strategy among these patients.•Combining patients’ interview and anti-N serology is effective to detect COVID-19 infections while anti-S is no longer interpretable in the context of vaccination.•Special care is warranted in patients treated with rituximab considering the potential severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection, regardless of seroconversion, hypogammaglobulinemia and B-cell depletion.