New research - COVID-19 Tied to Autoimmune Disease Risk

[MDT1]

Hi all - I know PMR/GCA are not mentioned but some consider there is an autoimmune element at least so - sharing an abstract.

COVID-19 Tied to Autoimmune Disease Risk

Lucy Hicks

October 06, 2023

TOPLINE:

Research from Korea provides additional evidence for the connection between COVID-19 and an increased risk for autoimmune conditions post-infection.

METHODOLOGY:

• In this retrospective study, researchers identified 354,527 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing from October 8, 2020 to December 31, 2021.

• Researchers compared the COVID-19 group to 6,134,940 healthy individuals who had no evidence of COVID-19 to quantify the risk for autoimmune and autoinflammatory connective tissue disorders.

• Patients were followed until diagnosis, death, or end of study period (December 31, 2021).

TAKEAWAY:

• Risks for alopecia areata, alopecia totalis, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)–associated vasculitis, Crohn's disease, and sarcoidosis were higher in the COVID-19 group.

• Patients with more severe COVID-19 (admitted to the ICU) were at greater risk for many autoimmune conditions, including alopecia totalis, psoriasis, vitiligo, and vasculitis.

IN PRACTICE:

"Our results emphasize the need to focus on managing not only the acute stages of COVID-19 itself but also autoimmune diseases as complications of COVID-19," the authors write.

SOURCE:

Sung Ha Lim, MD, of the Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine in Wonju, Korea, was the first author of the study, published in JAMA Network Open on October 6.

LIMITATIONS:

The study was retrospective and was comprised almost exclusively of individuals from a single ethnicity. The study could have included individuals with COVID-19 in the control group who did not undergo PCR testing. The analysis did not include detailed information on each patient, including genetic information, that could have contributed to autoimmune disease risk.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was supported by a fund from the research program of the Korea Medical Institute and by grants from the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, the Korean Ministry of Health & Welfare, and the National Research Foundation of Korea. The authors disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Thanks - at last!!!

I think a lot of us said very early in the advent of Long Covid that we thought it was very unfair they made such a song and dance about Long Covid and management when so many millions with existing autoimmune disorders have been dismissed for years. "All" LC is is a Covid-induced autoimmune condition which may resemble existing labels or it may have so many aspects it isn't recognisable as such.

I've described my theory before - a shop counter with the symptoms stacked on the shelves behind. Someone chucks the symptoms, sometimes in sets, sometimes at random, sometimes sending them after you after leaving the shop. The label you get depends on what it resembles from history but that is getting less now they have fancy diagnostics and match things up better. But fundamentally, all immune-mediated disease has similarities and what you have is "your" specific condition, PMRpro syndrome or MDT1 syndrome or whatever. Trouble is, many doctors don't have that level of overview.

[Greensleeves]

Excellent article, having PMR, going in ITU with Covid in 2020 and developing long covid, the symptoms are almost identical, one also often develops secondary autoimmune conditions. Breathlessness, asthma etc . I’m looking at POTS .

I can’t move on from the fatigue unless I’ve had a big dose of pred , admittedly my stress has been off the scale this past 2 years with caring and worrying.

Those of us with autoimmune conditions potentially fare far worse. My dear Mum survived it but had a stroke.

Thank you for sharing this .

[SheffieldJane]

Thanks for this. A vital piece of the jigsaw. I wonder how long it will take to be absorbed into mainstream medicine?