Covid-19 Increases Risk of Autoimmune Disease, but Vaccination Helps Decrease it: Study
A recent study conducted in South Korea and Japan has found that individuals who have had Covid-19 are at a higher risk of developing autoimmune diseases in the year following infection. However, the study also revealed that vaccination can help decrease this risk. The researchers analyzed the medical records of 10 million Korean and 12 million Japanese adults to determine whether Covid-19 patients were more likely to be diagnosed with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) compared to uninfected individuals or those who had influenza during the same period.
The study found that both the South Korean and Japanese cohorts showed a heightened risk of autoimmune disease up to one year after Covid-19 infection. The Covid-19 group had approximately a 25% higher risk of AIRD compared to the general population. When compared to the group with influenza, the risk was about 30% higher in those who had contracted Covid-19. Furthermore, the severity of the Covid-19 infection was directly correlated with the risk of developing a new autoimmune disease.
However, the researchers also discovered that vaccination against Covid-19, whether with mRNA or viral vector shots, reduced the risk of developing a new autoimmune disease. Although the study did not specify the exact extent to which vaccines reduced the risk of AIRDs, it is evident that vaccination plays a crucial role in mitigating the long-term consequences of Covid-19. Importantly, after the one-year mark, the risk of AIRDs returned to normal for the Covid-19 group.
These findings provide valuable data on vaccination and autoimmune disease in Asian populations, shedding light on the long-term consequences of Covid-19. The study emphasizes the importance of preventing infection in the first place, as severe cases of Covid-19 are associated with a higher risk of developing autoimmune diseases.
Lead author Min Seo Kim, a physician-scientist at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital, suggests that the decline in AIRDs risk after one year may indicate a decline in autoimmunity over time following Covid-19 infection. This suggests that if patients are well-managed during the first year, they are less likely to suffer from autoimmune diseases for the rest of their lives.
The emergence of long Covid and the ongoing pandemic have highlighted the urgent need to understand and find treatments for rising rates of autoimmune diseases worldwide. In the United States alone, it is estimated that up to 50 million Americans live with an autoimmune condition.
The study utilized detailed and integrated health datasets from South Korea and Japan, providing rigorous evidence to further our understanding of Covid-19’s long-term consequences. Alison Cohen, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the study, commended the findings for adding to the evidence base that Covid-19 is worse than the flu.
While some researchers have expressed skepticism about whether the reported AIRDs cases in the study represent true chronic diseases, the authors are commended for their efforts. Amr Hakam Sawalha, chief of the division of pediatric rheumatology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s children’s hospital, suggests that further studies with longer follow-up periods and validation in other populations are needed to address these concerns.
The study analyzed data from both the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and the Delta variant. However, it will be important to replicate the research with individuals infected with Omicron strains and those who have experienced reinfection with Covid-19. The fact that the study found an increased risk of autoimmune disease with earlier variants lends credibility to the idea that more aggressive waves of the virus are more damaging to the body.
Falko Tesch, a research associate at the Center for Evidence-Based Healthcare in Dresden, Germany, who has conducted his own research on increased autoimmunity after Covid-19, suggests that this information is crucial for future pandemics. By recommending thorough screening of infected individuals, public health officials can potentially catch autoimmune diseases early on.
In conclusion, the study highlights the increased risk of autoimmune diseases following Covid-19 infection. However, it also emphasizes the importance of vaccination in reducing this risk. The findings contribute to our understanding of the long-term consequences of Covid-19 and provide valuable insights into the impact of the virus on autoimmune diseases. Encouraging vaccination remains crucial in lowering the threat of rheumatic disease.
