REACTOGENICITY OF SARS-COV-2 VACCINES IN PATIENTS WITH AUTOIMMUNE AND INFLAMMATORY DISEASE
Abstract: POS1255
Authors: M. Yang et al.
Key content:
In this study, a part of a larger prospective observational study examining the immunogenicity and safety profile of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with immune-mediated diseases taking immunomodulatory medications, the preliminary safety results of the first 70 patients, vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, are reported.
Subjects participated in 3 study visits (pre-vaccine, dose 1 (D1) and dose 2 (D2). Distribution of current immunomodulatory medications included prednisone 18.6%, conventional synthetic DMARDs 55.7%, targeted synthetic DMARDs 4.3%, and biologic DMARDs 68.5%. Following the first D1 AEs were generally mild (76.5%) whereas following D2 a large portion of patients experienced AEs that were moderate (47.8%) and severe (30.5%). In this abstract no results of the immunogenicity of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine were reported.
Relevance:
Patients with autoimmune and inflammatory disease experience a significant burden of adverse events following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination with both frequency and severity appearing greater than that of the reported results from the vaccine clinical trials. Several of the endorsed AEs such as fever, fatigue and arthralgias can also be commonly seen in rheumatologic diseases, mimicking flares. Therefore it is difficult to differentiate between vaccine side effects and flare of the underlying rheumatic disease. In daily practice it is important to inform our patients about the possibility of side effects of the vaccine or flare of their disease.
