People with inflammatory arthritis may have impaired response to the first dose but excellent final responses to mRNA vaccines.<\/p>\n
INTRODUCTION<\/strong> WHAT DID THE AUTHORS HOPE TO FIND?<\/strong> WHO WAS STUDIED?<\/strong> HOW WAS THE STUDY CONDUCTED?<\/strong> WHAT WAS THE MAIN FINDING?<\/strong> ARE THESE FINDINGS NEW?<\/strong> WHAT ARE THE LIMITATIONS OF THIS STUDY?<\/strong> WHAT DO THE AUTHORS PLAN TO DO WITH THIS INFORMATION?<\/strong> WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME?<\/strong> 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 Date prepared:<\/strong> February 2022 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":" People with inflammatory arthritis may have impaired response to the first dose but excellent final responses to mRNA vaccines. INTRODUCTION COVID-19 is the disease caused by a new type of coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020. COVID-19 has forced […]<\/p>\n
\nCOVID-19 is the disease caused by a new type of coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020. COVID-19 has forced people to change their behaviours to try to limit the spread of infection.
\nRheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis are chronic inflammatory diseases that affect a person\u2019s joints or spine, respectively, and may cause pain and disability. Some people with inflammatory arthritis are treated with drugs that affect their immune system (often called immunomodulators). These include conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (often shortened to csDMARDs) such as methotrexate, and biologic or targeted synthetic therapies (bDMARDs and tsDMARDs). However, some of these drugs might mean people are more at risk for more severe COVID-19 infection. Some of these therapies might also interfere with how vaccines work. It is therefore important to develop vaccinations strategies for these groups of people. <\/p>\n
\nThe authors wanted to find out how people with rheumatoid arthritis or spondylarthritis treated with immunomodulatory drugs respond to mRNA vaccination (BioNtech\/Pfizer or Moderna) against SARS-CoV-2 compared to healthy controls not taking any immunomodulatory drugs. <\/p>\n
\nThe study looked at 53 people with rheumatoid arthritis, 46 with spondylarthritis, and 169 healthy participants without rheumatic disease. Everyone taking part agreed to have their antibody levels analysed after their first and second dose of the vaccine. <\/p>\n
\nThis was an observational, real-world study. The people with rheumatoid arthritis or spondylarthritis were all treated at one clinic in Vienna. Everyone received two doses of an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19. The authors used blood samples to see how well people responded to the vaccines. This was done by measuring the antibodies against two key parts of the virus: the receptor-binding domain and the nucleocapsid protein. These two measures allowed the researchers to distinguish between an immune response to the vaccine, and an immune response to infection with SARS-CoV-2. The results were compared to a control group of people who did not have rheumatic disease, and were not taking immunomodulatory therapies. <\/p>\n
\nThe authors found that people taking immunomodulatory drugs had a weaker response after the first dose of vaccine compared to healthy controls. However, after the second dose of the vaccine, the majority of people with rheumatoid arthritis or spondylarthritis showed adequate antibody development, comparable to the controls. Only people taking a combination of two immunomodulatory drugs had reduced antibody levels compared to healthy controls.<\/p>\n
\nYes, this report adds new information about how people taking immunomodulatory drugs for inflammatory
\narthritis develop adequate antibody response to vaccination against COVID-19.<\/p>\n
\nOne limitation is that the study looked at a small number of people. The impact of specific therapies will have to be determined in future studies.<\/p>\n
\nStudies like this form the basis for recommendations for vaccination strategies in people taking immunomodulatory drugs. The authors plan to take follow-up measurements to see how long the immune response lasts in the people who took part. <\/p>\n
\nIf you have rheumatoid arthritis or spondylarthritis you should get vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. These vaccines will work despite your underlying disease. However, some people \u2013 especially those using a combination of immunomodulatory drugs \u2013 might have a lower vaccination response.
\nProtect yourself from COVID-19 by following the advice of the government in your country. The best protection is getting vaccinated, but you should also wash your hands regularly, and avoid touching your face. Where recommended, follow social distancing rules, and use protective masks. Maintaining good ventilation may also help stop the virus spreading.<\/p>\n
\nSummary based on research article published on:<\/strong> 29 November 2021
\nFrom:<\/strong> Simader E, et al. Importance of the second SARS-CoV-2 vaccination dose for achieving serological response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and seronegative spondyloarthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 2022;81:416\u2013421. doi:10.1136\/annrheumdis-2021-221347<\/p>\n