Fernando Valiente, an academic at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile who was part of this research, points out that “this tool was introduced in Chile as the only tool to be able to measure these titers of neutralizing antibodies in patients, whether infected or vaccinated.” Regarding the findings of the study, María José Gallardo, vice-rector for Research and Postgraduate Studies at the U. de Atacama, indicated that a decrease in the response to the vaccine was found in rheumatological patients. “As a solution, it is suggested to consider an annual vaccination and the use of a fifth and now sixth dose to obtain optimal protection,” he indicates.
A pioneering study for evaluate the immunity developed by rheumatological patients from COVID-19 vaccines or viral infections has revealed its results. This is the project “Molecular Clinical Follow-up and Monitoring of Rheumatological Patients Inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines in the Atacama Region”, an initiative headed by the doctor of sciences and specialist in microbiology María José Gallardowhich is distinguished not only by the quality of its findings, but also by its outstanding leadership.
Financed by the National Fund for Health Research and Development (FONIS) – the first in the Atacama Region – the study used an innovative tool that measures the effectiveness of vaccines by detecting neutralizing antibodies and levels of protection against the COVID-19 virus.
“The active participation of 230 patients from various locations in the region was achieved., including Copiapó, Caldera, Chañaral, Tierra Amarilla and Diego de Almagro. After obtaining these results, we made sure to communicate them personally to each participant, providing them with detailed explanations about their results,” explained Gallardo, who is also vice-rector for Research and Postgraduate Studies at the University of Atacama.
Main findings
From the implementation of this method in rheumatological patients, “results reveal a decreased response to the vaccine in these patients compared to healthy controls. As a solution, it is suggested to consider an annual vaccination and the use of a fifth and now sixth dose to obtain optimal protection,” explained the researcher. “Key findings indicate that both patients and healthy controls have shown a favorable response to the vaccine, although this response decreases in rheumatological patients compared to new variants such as Ómicron. “This highlights the importance of continued monitoring of these patients and the need to maintain protection against the virus,” she added.
The University of Atacama, the Regional Hospital of Copiapó and the University of Chile have collaborated closely on this research project, which has had a significant impact at the national level and has been recognized at specialized conferences. Research results will be shared with the community and used to make public health decisions.
The professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Chile and researcher of this initiative, Fernando Valientestated for his part that “This tool was introduced in Chile as the only tool to measure these neutralizing antibody titers in patients, whether infected or vaccinated.. Having that, María José and I asked ourselves what were the levels of protection that the community had here in Copiapó? Specifically, patients with rheumatological diseases. So, we raised this very nice pilot that ended in a FONIS project, the first in the region led by a woman.”
The rheumatologist of the Immunology and Rheumatology Service of the Copiapó Regional Hospital, doctor Marcos Crucesmaintained that The results of this initiative will allow “measures to be taken to, for example, vaccinate these patients, perhaps, for example, annually versus healthy patients.”, and also take into consideration that these patients have a lower response and, therefore, perhaps a lower protection against SARS-CoV-2 once they have been vaccinated. So, that is why the fifth dose is recommended.”
This work also has the support of Yolanda Gomezalternate director of the project and president of the Chilean Statistical Society, and hopes to conclude in a guide of clinical recommendations for citizenswhich allows them to understand the scope and importance of vaccination and viral diseases.
Communications University of Atacama
Published on Monday, November 20, 2023
2023-11-21 06:26:55
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