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March 11, 2022
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Top in rheumatology: Long-term COVID-19 vaccine protection, new ACR guidance

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Messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccines provide immunity through at least 6 months, according to a speaker at the Basic and Clinical Immunology for the Busy Clinician symposium.

During his presentation, Shane Crotty, PhD, a professor at the Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research in the LaJolla Institute for Immunology, said previous research has shown that antibodies declined approximately 10-fold about 6 months after a second mRNA vaccine dose. However, CD4 T-cell numbers declined only about two-fold after the second dose, which “was quite encouraging,” Crotty said. A recap of the presentation was the top story in rheumatology last week.

Source: Adobe Stock.
Source: Adobe Stock

Another top story was about new guidance from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) on juvenile idiopathic arthritis. One big change is the emphasis on the use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.

Read these and more top stories in rheumatology below:

mRNA COVID-19 vaccines offer ‘quite encouraging’ long-term protection

mRNA vaccines yielded not only strong short-term immune response against COVID-19, but also persistent immunity through at least 6 months, data show. Read more.

ACR guidelines: ‘Turn the pyramid upside down’ for biologic DMARDs in JIA

ACR has released two updated guideline papers for the treatment and management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, according to a press release. Read more.

Immunotherapy drugs show ‘clear hierarchy’ of poor COVID-19 vaccine response

Further research is needed to ‘deconvolute’ the risk of poor COVID-19 vaccine response in patients treated with immunomodulatory drugs, according to a presenter at the Basic and Clinical Immunology for the Busy Clinician symposium. Read more.

Shifting ‘definition of fully vaccinated’ muddles COVID-19 vaccine efficacy data for IMIDs

An evolving definition of “fully vaccinated” has made it difficult to assess the utility and success of COVID-19 vaccines among patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, a presenter noted here. Read more.

COVID-19 unlikely to ‘fade away’ for the immunocompromised: ‘It’s good to have options’

COVID-19 fears and complications are likely to persist far into the future for immunocompromised individuals, a speaker noted at the Basic and Clinical Immunology for the Busy Clinician symposium. Read more.