A prospective observational study by Syversen et al. found that patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID) had an attenuated serologic response to the standard two-dose vaccine regimen but a third dose was safe and effective.
Recent Research: Study Summaries from Arthritis Care & Research
Lupus & Perinatal Outcomes Adverse perinatal outcomes before & after diagnosis with systemic lupus erythematosus among African American Women By Meghan Angley, PhD, & S. Sam Lim, MD Why was this study done? Previous studies have suggested that women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may experience adverse perinatal outcomes, including preterm and small-for-gestational-age birth, in…
Study: COVID-19 Vaccinations Are Safe for Patients with Lupus
COVID-19 vaccinations are safe for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with manageable side effects and a low incidence of flare, according to a recently published study in The Lancet.1 The use of mRNA vaccines, such as those from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which have been viewed as riskier than traditional vaccines because of a concern…
Ethics Forum: Vaccine Mandates
With the ongoing COVID‑19 pandemic, several tools and strategies have been developed and implemented to reduce the spread of disease. These include social distancing, adequate ventilation, masks, monoclonal antibody treatment and vaccination.1 As of December 2021, 60% of all Americans have been fully vaccinated, and 8 in 10 adults in the U.S. have received at…
COVID-19 Vaccination in Patients with Rheumatic Disease
In January A&R, Simon et al. report a study to assess humoral and cellular immune responses after infection with, or vaccination against, SARS-CoV-2 in patients with B cell depletion and controls who are B cell competent, finding that B cell depletion completely blocks humoral but not T cell SARS-CoV-2 vaccination response. In the same issue, Connolly et al. evaluated disease flare and post-vaccination reactions in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases following messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccination.
Vax Hesitancy? Myths & Facts for Patients
Although more than 189,300,000 eligible Americans are fully vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 as of Oct. 18, 2021, vaccine hesitancy persists.1 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), citing data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey collected between May 26 and June 7, 2021, reports that in some U.S. counties—particularly in the Southeast…
Understanding Risk in the COVID-19 Era
On Sept. 9, my 5-year-old son boarded a bus for his first day of kindergarten. In some senses, this was no different from any other year. We spent weeks trying to get him excited for school (he is not a fan of changes). We went to kindergarten orientation, toured his classroom and sat on his…
Revisionist History: Seat Belts & Resistance to Public Health Measures
Some were furious. State by state, laws were enacted to ensure compliance. In most states, the laws were accompanied by a modest fine, as an added incentive. By the time the laws were written, most understood they were based on good science and common sense. The potential to save lives and prevent tragedy was finally…
COVID-19 Vaccination Induces T Cell Response in Patients Treated with Rituximab
Research indicates mRNA vaccination for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection may induce a T cell response in vulnerable, immunocompromised patient populations being treated with rituximab.
COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy & Safety Discussed at Town Hall
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.