ABSTRACT
Background:Symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 primary vaccination among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are generally similar to the general population,although symptoms after the second dose are more frequent and severe than after the first dose.Postvaccination symptoms after a 3rd mRNA vaccine dose in the predominantly immune-compromised IBD population is unknown.Methods:Adults with IBD participating in the prospective Coronavirus Risk Associations and Longitudinal Evaluation in IBD (CORALE-IBD) vaccine registry who received a 3rd mRNA vaccine dose were asked to complete a detailed symptom survey 1 week after vaccination.Symptoms were assessed across 11 organ systems,and graded as mild,moderate,or severe,or requiring hospitalization.“Severe+” referred to those with severe symptoms or who required hospitalization.We stratified by age (<or> 50 years) given prior distinct symptom profiles after dose 2 (D2).We also evaluated whether severe+ symptoms after D2 predicted severe+ symptoms after dose 3 (D3).Results:We included 524 participants (70% female, mean age 45 years) who received a 3rd mRNA vaccine through October 11, 2021.Most had Crohn's disease (71%), and 89% were on biologic therapies.Most (58%) had received primary vaccination with BNT562b2,and only 3.5% reported prior COVID infection at the time of initial vaccination.Overall, 97% of subjects received a 3rd dose with the same mRNA vaccine as in their initial series with the remainder receiving the other mRNA vaccine type.No participants received a 3rd dose with the Ad26.CoV.2 (J&J) vaccine. Overall, 41% reported symptoms after a 3rd dose,with symptoms generally more frequent and severe among those <55 years (Table).The most frequent postvaccination symptom was injection site pain (39%).Common systemic symptoms included fatigue/malaise (34%),headache (23%),and muscle, bone or joint symptoms (13%).These were all less frequent after D3 than after D2 (Figure).Gastrointestinal symptoms were reported by 8.8%, which was slightly more frequent than after D2 (7.8%).Among those with postvaccination symptoms, the proportion with severe symptoms after D3 was lower than D2 for fatigue/ malaise, headache, dizziness and lightheadedness, fever/chills, and rheumatologic symptoms, but was slightly higher than D2 for gastrointestinal symptoms.Severe+ symptoms were seen in 17% after D2 and in 14% after D3. Of those with severe+ symptoms after D2, 34% had severe+ symptoms after D3.In contrast, about 22% had severe+ symptoms after D3 but did not report severe+ symptoms after D2.Conclusion:The frequency and severity of symptoms after a 3rd mRNA vaccine dose are generally similar or lower than those after a second dose.Furthermore, prior severe+ symptoms after D2 do not necessarily predict severe+ symptoms after D3. Further evaluation of postvaccination gastrointestinal symptoms in this population is warranted. (Figure Presented) (Table Presented)
ABSTRACT
Background: Vaccine-induced protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection is predominantly mediated by humoral immunity;protection against disease progression is primarily determined by cellular immunity. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have high rates of post-vaccination anti-Spike IgG [IgG(S)] seroconversion, but postvaccination immune responses relative to non-IBD controls have not been well described. We aimed to assess post-vaccination humoral (antibody) and cellular (T-cell) responses in IBD relative to healthcare worker (HCW) controls. Methods: We evaluated IBD patients enrolled in a US registry referred from 26 centers at 2, 8, and 16 weeks after completing 2 doses of SARSCoV- 2 mRNA vaccination and compared results to non-IBD non-immunosuppressed HCW participating in a parallel study. We analyzed plasma antibodies to the receptor binding domain of the viral spike protein using the SARS-CoV-2 IgG-II assay (Abbott Labs, Abbott Park, IL);IgG(S) > 50 AU/mL was defined as positive. Those with prior COVID were excluded. We also performed T-cell clonal analysis by T-cell receptor (TCR) immunosequencing at 8 weeks (Adaptive Biotechnologies, Seattle, WA). The breadth (number of unique sequences to a given protein) and depth (relative abundance of all the unique sequences to a given protein) of the T-cell clonal response were quantified using reference datasets. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex and vaccine type. Results: Overall, 1805 subjects were included (IBD n=1074 (65% Crohn's disease, 35% ulcerative colitis);HCW n=731). Age and sex were similar between both cohorts;Hispanic ethnicity and Asian race were less common among IBD than HCW (Table). Vaccine type included BNT162b2 (Pfizer) (75% of IBD, 98% of HCW) and the remainder mRNA-1274 (Moderna). IBD treatments included anti- TNF (46%), other biologics (33%), other immune suppressing therapy (9%), and no immune suppression (12%). Postvaccination antibody levels were lower among IBD than HCW both before and after adjusting for vaccine type (p<0.0001 each timepoint;Figure). After further restricting the IBD cohort to those on no immune-suppressive therapies, antibodies remained lower in IBD vs HCW at 2w (p=0.008) and 8w (p<0.0001), but not 16w (p=0.07). Among 321 subjects with available whole cell samples at 8 weeks (IBD n=163, HCW =158), Spikespecific TCR responses were similar between IBD and HCW for both clonal breadth and depth in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses;sub-analyses of those on biologics yielded similar results. Conclusion: Patients with IBD have dampened humoral responses, but similar cellular responses, after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination relative to HCW. These findings suggest a potentially greater risk of infection, but not of disease progression, among those with IBD, and should be considered to help guide booster dosing strategies for the IBD population. (Figure Presented) (Figure Presented) Figure: Post-vaccination immune responses: (A) Antibody responses are lower in IBD relative to non-IBD healthcare workers at 2, 8, and 16 weeks (p<0.0001 at each timepoint). In contrast, post-vaccination Spike-specific T-cell receptor clonal breadth (B1) and clonal depth (B2) at 8 weeks are similar in IBD compared to healthcare workers.
ABSTRACT
Introduction The use of social media (SM) as an educational and networking platform is rapidly growing among healthcare professionals (HCPs), with Twitter being a preferred media for gastroenterologists. This has led to the development of organized gastroenterology (GI)-focused weekly Twitter chats (GIT) to promote medical education while enhancing user engagement. Methods A survey instrument was designed to evaluate the use and effectiveness of GIT as an educational resource for HCPs and to ascertain its perceived value relative to more traditional sources of education. The survey was distributed via Twitter from the official accounts of #MondayNightIBD and #ScopingSundays. Questions regarding participant demographics, area of clinical practice, participation and effectiveness of GIT were included. Level of agreement was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale. Results Of the 237 respondents, 49.8% were GI attending physicians, and 32.5% were GI fellows/trainees;75.5% currently practice in an academic medical center/hospital and 21.9% in a community hospital/private practice. 61.4% of respondents reported actively participating in GIT while 21.2% reported leading a weekly discussion/s. Regarding the impact of GIT on practice, majority of the respondents (89.1%) agreed/strongly agreed that it has improved their understanding of evidence-based treatment strategies, and their comfort level in navigating complex cases (90.3%), managing clinical scenarios not discussed in guidelines or textbooks (91.9%), and interpreting the results of new and emerging data and their implications (86.3%;Table 1). Respondents agreed/strongly agreed that GIT enhances expertise (90.3%), promotes decision making based on others’ expertise (88.9%), while also facilitating community building and /collegiality (95.3%), and networking (92.8%). Respondents selected GI journals (61.6%), GIT (62.3%), and conferences/symposia (51.9%) as the most effective tools to help improve their practice (Table 2). They also reported increasing use of the following educational platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic: SM including GIT (84.8%), webinars (80%), virtual conferences (65.8%), journals (24.1%), and podcasts (21.5%). Conclusions Among gastroenterologists who use Twitter, organized educational Twitter chats #MondayNightIBD and #ScopingSundays, rank high or highest as compared to other educational resources for evidence-based learning and clinical practice impact, while providing opportunities for community building and networking. The success of these educational platforms is likely due in part to the interactive and open access format that facilitates effective learner engagement. The use of Twitter in medical education is an emerging field of scholarship that merits further study.(Image Presented)