Publication date: Jun 17, 2024
Vaccines are a crucial component of the global efforts to control the spread of COVID-19. Very little is known about COVID-19 vaccine responses in patients living with autoimmune rheumatic conditions in Africa. We examined the clinical reaction to COVID-19 vaccinations in Ghanaians diagnosed with autoimmune rheumatic disease. This was a hospital-based interventional cohort study of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients recruited via regular face-to-face clinic visits. The systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index Selena modification (SELENA-SLEDAI) and the disease activity score 28-joint count-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR) were used to measure changes in disease activity levels. Thirty-eight (38) patients of which 21 (55. 3%) were diagnosed with SLE and 17 (44. 7%) with RA contributed data for analyses. Most (89. 5%) of the patients were females, with a mean age of 37. 4 years. The SLE patients experienced a notable increase in severe flares during weeks three and six, as well as the third and sixth months, followed by subsequent decreases in the twelfth month, while remission levels increased throughout the same period. Among RA patients, high disease activity decreased during weeks three and six, as well as the third, sixth, and twelfth months, with remission levels increasing during the same time. A low dose (≥ 50
Open Access PDF
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Covid | COVID-19 |
| Females | Disease activity |
| Month | Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) |
| Rheumatoid | Vaccination |
| Vaccines |