Clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 breakthrough infections among vaccinated patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases

• Published in: Annals of the rheumatic diseases Vol. 81; no. 2; pp. 289 - 291
• Main Authors: Cook, Claire, Patel, Naomi J, D’Silva, Kristin M., Hsu, Tiffany Y -T, DiIorio, Michael, Prisco, Lauren, Martin, Lily W, Vanni, Kathleen, Zaccardelli, Alessandra, Todd, Derrick, Sparks, Jeffrey A, Wallace, Zachary Scott
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and European League Against Rheumatism 01.02.2022; BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subjects: Adult; Antibodies; Antirheumatic Agents - therapeutic use; autoimmune diseases; Autoimmune Diseases - drug therapy; Autoimmune Diseases - virology; Body mass index; Cardiovascular disease; Comorbidity; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - mortality; COVID-19 - therapy; COVID-19 - virology; COVID-19 Vaccines; Drug dosages; epidemiology; Female; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Immunology; Infections; Letter; Lung diseases; Lupus; Male; Middle Aged; Patients; Rheumatic diseases; Rheumatic Diseases - drug therapy; Rheumatic Diseases - virology; Rheumatoid arthritis; Rheumatology; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; vaccination; Ventilation; United States > US; Massachusetts; COVID-19; autoimmune diseases; epidemiology; vaccination
• ISSN: 0003-4967; 1468-2060
• DOI: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2021-221326

[...]a small portion of COVID-19 cases among patients with SARDs in a large US healthcare system occurred among fully vaccinated patients. [...]we did not study the risk of breakthrough infections among a cohort of vaccinated patients with a known denominator. [...]we cannot estimate the rate of breakthrough infections among patients with SARDs. [...]the proportion of asymptomatic breakthrough infections observed in our study may be an underestimate because we only included patients who presented for testing. [...]we did not have SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing available for all patients and cannot rule out the possibility that SARD manifestations (eg, interstitial lung disease) commonly treated with these medications contributed to the severity of the presentation.