COVID-19 linked to major spike in autoimmune disease risk - All you need to know
1 min read . Updated: 25 Feb 2023, 05:44 PM IST
PremiumAccording to the extensive study, the highest incidence rate ratios were noted for autoimmune disease of the vasculitis group. Patients with a more severe course of COVID-19 were at a greater risk for incident autoimmune diseases.
Those infected with COVID-19 in the past three years faced additional risk of developing autoimmune diseases. As per a recently published study, the odds increased by a whopping 43% when it came to patients with previous COVID-19 infection. While scientists have previously linked COVID-19 to an increased risk of autoimmune disease these were relatively smaller studies that focused on just a few health conditions at a time.
What are autoimmune diseases?
The immune system is a network of cells and tissues throughout the body that work to defend you from viruses, bacteria and infections. However, those suffering from autoimmune diseases face problems with the body's immune system functioning.
In such cases, the cells target the body’s own healthy tissues by mistake, signaling the body to attack them. It can affect any part of the body including the heart, brain, nerves, lungs, muscles and even the skin.
How does COVID-19 connect with autoimmune diseases?
“…we found a 42.63% higher likelihood of acquiring autoimmunity for patients who had suffered from COVID-19. This estimate was similar for common autoimmune diseases, such as Hashimoto thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, or Sjögren syndrome," the yet-to-be-peer-reviewed study explains.
According to the extensive study, the highest incidence rate ratios were noted for autoimmune disease of the vasculitis group. Patients with a more severe course of COVID-19 were at a greater risk for incident autoimmune diseases.
The researchers studied 641,704 patients with COVID-19 to conclude that “SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with an increased risk of developing new-onset autoimmune diseases after the acute phase of infection."
While vasculitis - which causes inflammation of the blood vessels - led the list, researchers also found strong links to other autoimmune-driven problems. These included issues with the thyroid gland, the skin condition psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, which causes swelling in the joints.
How many people have been infected by COVID-19 till date?
According to the COVID-19 tracker run by John Hopkins university, there have been 674,956,123 cases recorded around the world till date. The data is drawn from official sources and it remains unclear whether cases went under-reported in some parts of the world (allegations to this effect have been made several times over the past three years).