Patients with rheumatoid diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, ankylosing spondylitis, and Behcet’s disease are known to have a high mortality rate when infected with COVID-19, so vaccination against COVID-19 is essential. However, it was investigated that the neutralizing antibody response to the Omicron mutant virus was not sufficient even if the rheumatoid disease patient was vaccinated with a booster vaccine (third dose).
A research team led by Professors Seongho Choi and Jinwon Jeong of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Chung-Ang University Hospital and Professor Sang Sang Choi of the Department of Rheumatology recently conducted a study on the effect of a booster vaccine against the COVID-19 Omicron mutant virus in patients with rheumatic diseases (SARS-CoV-2 Omicron escapes mRNA vaccine booster-induced antibody neutralization). in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases: an observational cohort study).
The research team at Chung-Ang University Hospital collected the sera of 94 healthy medical personnel who received the COVID-19 booster vaccine and 149 rheumatic patients who were receiving immunosuppressive drugs or anti-rheumatic treatment to measure the neutralizing antibody response that suppresses the Omicron mutant virus. , the relationship between the neutralizing antibody response and the occurrence of breakthrough infection was investigated.
After the third vaccine booster inoculation, the neutralizing antibody response to the existing coronavirus was expected in 97.2% of medical personnel and 88.1% of rheumatoid disease patients, but a neutralizing antibody response to the Omicron mutant virus was 50.3% in medical personnel, In rheumatic disease patients, 26.8% were investigated.
Through this, it was found that the neutralizing antibody response to the Omicron mutant virus of rheumatic disease patients was lower than that of the existing coronavirus and even lower than that of healthy medical personnel even after the third inoculation.
In particular, as time passes, the effect of the third inoculation is further reduced, and it was investigated that the neutralizing antibody response to the time-dependent omicron mutation after the third inoculation decreased by 0.351% per day.
In order to confirm the relationship between the neutralizing antibody response and breakthrough infection, ohmic breakthrough infection was investigated and analyzed for patients with rheumatoid disease who participated in the study. It was also confirmed that breakthrough infection easily occurred with this weakness.
Professor Jin-won Jeong of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Chung-Ang University Hospital said, “Through this study, patients with rheumatic diseases who are taking immunosuppressants or anti-rheumatic drugs cannot easily prevent infection through Omicron with booster vaccination. ), a new vaccine targeting the mutant virus will be needed,” he said.
Meanwhile, this research paper was published in the latest issue of Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (IF 27.973), which is a top 10% SCI-level journal in the field of rheumatoid diseases.