This is the lay version of a paper describing the safety of COVID-19 vaccination based on data from the
\nCOVAX registry. The original publication can be downloaded from the following link:<\/p>\n
Machado PM, Lawson-Tovey S, Strangfeld A, et al<\/em>. Safety of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in people Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n EULAR gives advice to doctors, nurses and patients about the best way to treat and manage diseases. The The EULAR Coronavirus Vaccine (COVAX) physician-reported registry was launched in February 2021. What do we already know?<\/strong> What does the paper say?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 COVAX is a large international registry collecting information about COVID vaccination in people with RMDs.<\/strong> \u2022 Most people in the COVAX registry had received the Pfizer\/BioNTech vaccine.<\/strong> \u2022 The overwhelming majority of people with inflammatory RMDs tolerate COVID vaccination well.<\/strong> \u2022 There are very few breakthrough infections in people with inflammatory RMDs.<\/strong> \u2022 The safety profile in people with inflammatory RMDs is similar to that in other groups of people.<\/strong> Summary<\/strong> Overall, these findings from the COVAX will support discussions about the safety and benefit\/risk ratio of COVID vaccination for people with inflammatory RMDs. The information will also help support the If you have any questions or concerns about your disease or your medication, you should speak to a health professional involved in your care.<\/p>\n Disclaimer:<\/strong> This is a summary of a scientific article written by a medical professional (\u201cthe Original Article\u201d). The Summary is written to assist non medically trained readers to understand general points of the Original Article. It is supplied \u201cas is\u201d without any warranty. You should note that the Original Article (and Summary) may not be fully relevant nor accurate as medical science is constantly changing and errors can occur. It is therefore very important that readers not rely on the content in the Summary and consult their medical professionals for all aspects of their health care and only rely on the Summary if directed to do so by their medical professional. Please view our full Website Terms and Conditions<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright<\/strong> \u00a9 2022 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & European League Against Rheumatism. Medical professionals may print copies for their and their patients and students non commercial use. Other individuals may print a single copy for their personal, non commercial use. For other uses please contact our Rights and Licensing Team<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This is the lay version of a paper describing the safety of COVID-19 vaccination based on data from the COVAX registry. The original publication can be downloaded from the following link: Machado PM, Lawson-Tovey S, Strangfeld A, et al. Safety of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases: results from the EULAR […]<\/p>\n
\nwith rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases: results from the EULAR Coronavirus Vaccine (COVAX)
\nphysician-reported registry. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases Published Online First: 31 December 2021.
\ndoi: 10.1136\/annrheumdis-2021-221490<\/a><\/p>\n
\norganization also supports studies and data collection to further understanding about rheumatic and
\nmusculoskeletal disease (RMD).<\/p>\n
\nInformation is entered voluntarily by rheumatologists. The users were asked to report as many cases as
\npossible of people with RMDs who had received a COVID vaccine, whether or not they had experienced side effects.<\/p>\n
\nCOVID-19 is the infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The outbreak of this virus was declared a
\npandemic in 2020 by the World Health Organization. Since then, almost 200 different vaccines for COVID
\nhave been developed, with more than 100 having reached human trial phases. In general, people with
\ninflammatory or autoimmune rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (shortened to I-RMDs) have not been included in the clinical trials for these vaccines. This has led to questions about the safety and effectiveness of COVID vaccines in people with I-RMDs.<\/p>\n
\nThe registry is collecting information about people with RMDs who have had a COVID vaccine. The
\ninformation published in this paper includes 5,121 people from 30 countries. Of these, 90% had an
\ninflammatory RMD, and the other 10% had a non-inflammatory RMD. The most common inflammatory RMDs were rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, and psoriatic arthritis. The most common non-
\ninflammatory RMDs were osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Among people with inflammatory RMDs,, 54% were taking a conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (csDMARD), 42% were on biological DMARDs (bDMARDs), and 35% were taking immunosuppressant medicines for their RMD.<\/p>\n
\nOverall, 70% had received the Pfizer\/BioNTech vaccine, 17% had the AstraZeneca\/Oxford vaccine, and
\n8% received the Moderna vaccine, reflecting vaccine availability and access across reporting countries.<\/p>\n
\nThe registry has received rare reports of people having a flare of their inflammatory RMD after receiving a COVID vaccine. Flares included arthritis (joint pain) and fatigue (tiredness). Overall, fewer than 5% of people had a flare, and only 0.6% were classed as severe. Medication changes were needed in just 1.5% of people. These results suggest the risk of having a flare after receiving a COVID vaccine is low, and not linked to any particular type of vaccine. Of note, these flares were not necessarily caused by the vaccine, as flares are also expected to occur as part of the natural history of the disease.<\/p>\n
\nAfter vaccination, 46 people were diagnosed with COVID-19; over half had not received both vaccine
\ndoses. In fully vaccinated people, only 0.7% of those with an inflammatory RMD had a breakthrough
\ninfection after receiving a COVID vaccine. The rate was 1.1% in people with a non-inflammatory RMD.<\/p>\n
\nIn general, the most adverse events seen in people with inflammatory RMDs were not serious. These
\nwere typically short-lived reactions to the injection. This is similar to the safety profile found in people with non-inflammatory RMDs, and those in the general population.<\/p>\n
\nThese findings should provide reassurance to rheumatologists, other health professionals and vaccine
\nrecipients, and promote confidence in the safety of COVID vaccination in people with inflammatory RMDs.<\/p>\n
\ndevelopment of new and updated recommendations by competent organisations.<\/p>\n