COVID-19 Vaccination in Patients with Rheumatic Disease

In short, flares of underlying RMD following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination were uncommon. Local and systemic reactions typically did not interfere with daily activity.

The authors conclude, “these early safety data can help address vaccine hesitancy in RMD patients.”

For full study details, including source material, refer to the full articles.

Excerpted and adapted from:

Connolly CM, Ruddy JA, Boyarsky BJ, et al. Disease flare and reactogenicity in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases following two-dose SARS–CoV-2 messenger RNA vaccination. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2022 Jan;74(1):28–32.
Simon D, Tascilar K, Schmidt K, et al. Brief report: Humoral and cellular immune responses to SARS–CoV-2 infection and vaccination in autoimmune disease patients with B cell depletion. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2022 Jan;74(1):33–37.

A perspective on B cell–targeted therapies in autoimmune disease

At a recent ACR town hall, panelists described immune responses and side effects of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with rheumatic disease, along with ways to leverage monoclonal antibody treatments, especially in light of virus variants.

Although we can expect to learn much more, preliminary data are now available on the potential safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in rheumatology patients. The picture is likely to be nuanced, with not all types of immunosuppressive treatments having identical impacts on vaccine response. Rheumatologists should use caution in interpreting early reports, while continuing…

COVID-19 vaccination, treatments for rheumatic disease and more—the Late-Breaking Abstracts session of ACR Convergence 2021 highlighted six studies with implications for rheumatology.

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COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy & Safety Discussed at Town Hall

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Highlights from ACR Convergence’s Late-Breaking Abstracts

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