The impact of glucocorticoid therapy on immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination or infection in rituximab-treated patients with autoimmune disorders UniFAU COVID19 coronavirus covid vaccine vaccination autoimmune
By Shanet Susan AlexJul 18 2022Reviewed by Danielle Ellis, B.Sc. In a recent study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, researchers examined immune reactions to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 among B cell-depleted autoimmune patients who concomitantly administered glucocorticoids.
According to a study by Dr. Niu and colleagues, long-term glucocorticoid use reduces the effectiveness of the CoV disease 2019 vaccine and makes people more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition, earlier analyses showed that patients with immune-mediated inflammatory disease who use glucocorticoids have a higher risk of COVID-19 and infection-related mortality and morbidity.
Results, discussions, and conclusions The team observed no significant exposure to glucocorticoid medication in the present group when examining whether baseline glucocorticoid treatment could have augmented decreased immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines or infections. Consequently, only three patients received concurrent glucocorticoid therapy: one COVID-19 vaccinee and two virus-infected patients. In addition, glucocorticoid doses were modest, averaging 4.6±3.