COVID-19 vaccine protects patients with inflammatory bowel disease from SARS-CoV-2
Analysis answers questions arising from immunosuppressive treatments


Date:
April 11, 2022
Source:
Rutgers University
Summary:
COVID-19 vaccines taken by people with inflammatory bowel disease
(IBD), which affects millions worldwide, safely and effectively
protects them from the SARS-Cov-2 virus, a study finds.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== COVID-19 vaccines taken by people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD),
which affects millions worldwide, safely and effectively protects them
from the SARS- CoV-2 virus, a Rutgers study finds.


==========================================================================
The comprehensive review, published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology
& Therapeutics, focused on all studies describing the response of
patients with IBD who were administered a COVID-19 vaccine. People with
IBD are commonly treated with drugs that suppress the immune system and
have reported concerns over whether such treatments might weaken their
response to the vaccine.

"We wanted to demonstrate in a systematic way that the vaccines will
safely protect our IBD patients from COVID-19," said study author Abhishek Bhurwal, an Advanced IBD Fellow in the Division of Gastroenterology
and Hepatology at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. "Our systematic review and meta- analysis confirmed that the vaccines are
safe and work well in our patients." An estimated 3.1 million adults
in the United States have been diagnosed with IBD, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease, which includes
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, causes chronic inflammation of
the gastrointestinal tract. The numbers of such patients, Bhurwal said,
are growing.

The study focused on four key aspects of COVID-19 vaccination of IBD
patients: the strength of their immune response to the vaccine; the
occurrence of breakthrough infections after taking the vaccine; the
occurrence of adverse events to the vaccine; and whether differing IBD treatments affected vaccine effectiveness.

The analysis found the following:
* Vaccinated IBD patients showed high levels of antibody response,
known as
seroconversion, two weeks after the first vaccine, indicating a
strong, positive response to the vaccine. The response was even
higher after two doses, as compared with one dose.

* Vaccinated IBD patients did not experience a higher or lower rate of
breakthrough infections than the control group in studies. However,
the studies analyzed were likely not designed to allow for more
subtle distinctions. Additionally, further studies regarding
effectiveness for variants and booster doses are needed.

* Vaccinated IBD patients experienced a low rate of adverse events,
and the
most common events have also been seen in the general population:
reactions at the injection site; headaches; backache; and joint
pain.

* Vaccinated IBD patients on different immunosuppressive treatments
had a
similar response to the vaccine. Further studies are needed for
assessing patients on corticosteroids for IBD.

Because of their treatment with immunosuppressive drugs, IBD patients are
more susceptible to infectious disease than the general population. As
a result, they have been encouraged to receive COVID-19 vaccines.

"Because members of the IBD population are immunocompromised, it was
important to document that the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines work for them," Bhurwal said. "With this analysis, we can say that two doses of the SARS-CoV-2
vaccines are safe and effective in the IBD population. But we need further studies regarding booster doses and COVID variants." Other Rutgers
authors in the study were from the Division of Gastroenterology and
Hepatology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School: Steven Brant,
Lea Ann Chen, Carlos Minacapelli and Darren Seril.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Rutgers_University. Original written
by Kitta MacPherson.

Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Abhishek Bhurwal, Hemant Mutneja, Vikas Bansal, Akshay Goel, Shilpa
Arora, Bashar Attar, Carlos D. Minacapelli, Gursimran Kochhar,
Lea Ann Chen, Steve Brant, Darren Seril. Effectiveness and
safety of SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccine in Inflammatory Bowel
Disease patients: A systematic review, meta‐analysis and
meta‐regression.

Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 2022; DOI: 10.1111/apt.16913 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220411120717.htm

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