AI Article Synopsis
- A study evaluated the immune response of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients to COVID-19 vaccines after stopping methotrexate (MTX) treatment for 1 or 2 weeks compared to those who continued MTX.
- Patients who paused MTX showed higher levels of antibodies and a stronger T-cell response, particularly in the group that withdrew for 2 weeks.
- Importantly, stopping MTX did not lead to increased flare-ups of RA or PsA, suggesting that a temporary withdrawal could enhance vaccine effectiveness without risking disease stability.
Article Abstract
B and T cell responses were evaluated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA) after 1 or 2 weeks of methotrexate (MTX) withdrawal following each COVID-19 vaccine dose and compared with those who maintained MTX. Adult RA and PsA patients treated with MTX were recruited and randomly assigned to 3 groups: MTX-maintenance (n = 72), MTX-withdrawal for 1 week (n = 71) or MTX-withdrawal for 2 weeks (n = 73). Specific antibodies to several SARS-CoV-2 antigens and interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-21 responses were assessed. MTX withdrawal in patients without previous COVID-19 was associated with higher levels of anti-RBD IgG and neutralising antibodies, especially in the 2-week withdrawal group and with higher IFN-γ secretion upon stimulation with pools of SARS-CoV-2 S peptides. No increment of RA/PsA relapses was detected across groups. Our data indicate that two-week MTX interruption following COVID-19 vaccination in patients with RA or PsA improves humoral and cellular immune responses.
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Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10827732 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41541-024-00805-3 | DOI Listing |
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