A Form of Long Covid? Autoimmune Inflammatory Rheumatic Disease Following Covid-19

March 5, 2024

An article published today called the Long-Term Autoimmune Inflammatory Rheumatic Outcomes of COVID-19, reports that rates of new-onset autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIRD), like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, increased significantly post-COVID-19 in South Korea and Japan. Data from both countries revealed a 25% increase in Korea and a 79% increase in Japan among COVID-19 patients compared to uninfected controls.

However, vaccination reduced the risk of AIRD after breakthrough infections, except in severe cases. AIRD was considered a long-term COVID-19 complication, with elevated rates persisting for up to a year or more post-infection. The risk increase wasn’t due to healthcare contact, as it was significantly higher in COVID-19 patients compared to influenza patients. The analysis, encompassing large cohorts, revealed variations between countries and when comparing COVID and influenza.

While limitations exist, including reliance on administrative data and pre-Omicron data, the findings highlight the potential long-term impacts of COVID-19 on autoimmune diseases and the protective role of vaccination.

Citation for report: 

Kim, M. S., Lee, H., Lee, S. W., Kwon, R., Rhee, S. Y., Lee, J. A., Koyanagi, A., Smith, L., Fond, G., Boyer, L., Lee, J., Rahmati, M., Shin, J. Y., Min, C., Shin, J. I., & Yon, D. K. (2024). Long-Term Autoimmune Inflammatory Rheumatic Outcomes of COVID-19 : A Binational Cohort Study. Annals of internal medicine, 177(3), 291–302. https://doi.org/10.7326/M23-1831