ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the life of people worldwide. We used a cross-sectional survey to evaluate the effects of pandemic on inflammatory bowel disease patients registered with Johns Hopkins. We assessed the methods used to minimize the risk of infection, coping mechanisms, changes in disease activity and management in the first 6 months of pandemic. Of the 405 patients who completed the questionnaire, 240 (58.8%) had Crohn's disease, 132 (32.6%) ulcerative colitis and 35 (8.6%) unclassified IBD.The median (IQR) age was 49 (28, 71). Two hundred seventy-three (67.4%) received biologics including patients on hospital-based (4.2%) infusions, outpatient-based infusions (26.7%) and home infusion (22.2%). Majority had other comorbidities, either heart (142/35.1%) or lung disease (19/ 4.7%), diabetes (22/5.4%), hypertension (77/19%), or obesity (13/3.2%). Most patients were at low risk for infection as they lived in a non-metropolitan area (291 patients, 71.8%), did not report close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 individual (373, 92.1%), did not travel to an area with high rates of COVID-19 (381, 94.1%) and did not use public transportation (379, 93.6%). All but 2 were taking protective measures such as use of N-95 mask (90, 22.2%), commercially (271, 66.9%) or homemade mask (208, 51.4%), sanitizer (363, 89.6%) or gloves (96, 23.7%). Additionally, patients used dietary/herbal supplements (55, 13.6%), dietary modifications (98, 24.2%) to support immunity (35, 8.6%), prevent an IBD flare (28, 6.9%), or minimize medications (48, 11.9%). The most common supplement used was Vitamin C (28, 50.9%), and D (42, 76.4%). Most (344, 84.7%) had no adjustments to their medications during pandemic, 31 (7.7%) discontinued their medication and 31 (7.7%) had to add a medication. Pandemic had, reportedly, no effect to the lives of 44 (20.9%) patients but 28 (13.3%) felt depressed, 70 (33.2%) anxious, 9 (4.3%) lost their income and 60 (28.4%) had other non-specified effects. The most common stress reduction techniques used were exercise (261, 64.4%), yoga (76, 18.8%), art therapy (23, 5.7%), music therapy (40, 9.9%), journaling (28, 6.9%), and guided Imagery (18, 4.4%). Fifty-eight (14.3%) used stress reduction medications. Eight (2%) reported SARS-CoV-2 infection. Median (IQR) age was 39 years (22,50)(Table 1). The majority had CD (6, 75%) and the infection was treated at home (6, 75%). One required admission to ICU. Infection led to worsening of the disease in 2 (25%). One (12.5%) discontinued IBD treatment. Our data suggest that most IBD patients followed low risk activities and were adherent to personal protective equipment and used stress reduction techniques and dietary supplements to cope with pandemic and avoid flares. Infection rates were low and the majority did not require admission to the hospital. In the majority infection did not cause an IBD exacerbation. (Table Presented)
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: In the SARS-CoV2 mRNA vaccine trials, post-vaccination gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms were reported in 10-20% of participants. These symptoms could be perceived as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) flare which could lead to patient anxiety, and unnecessary tests or treatment. We aimed to assess GI symptoms after SARS-CoV2 mRNA vaccination in patients with IBD relative to non-IBD healthcare workers (HCW). Methods: We assessed GI symptoms in adults with IBD and HCW at baseline and after each dose of a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine. We analyzed patient-reported IBD-specific disease activity (PRO2) after each dose (stool frequency (SF) and rectal bleeding for ulcerative colitis (UC), SF and abdominal pain for Crohn's disease (CD)). We also compared the frequency, severity, and duration of postvaccination GI symptoms in IBD patients compared to HCW. Severity was defined by impact on daily activities (mild, did not interfere;moderate, some interference;severe, prevented routine activity;extreme, required hospitalization). Severe and extreme were combined and designated as severe+. Duration was classified as<2 days, 2-7 days, or>7 days. Results: Post-vaccination GI symptoms were assessed after dose 1 (D1) (1391 IBD, 933 HCW) and dose 2 (D2) (1271 IBD, 884 HCW) (Table). About 60% of IBD and>99% of HCW received the BNT162b vaccine (Pfizer);the remainder received mRNA-1273 (Moderna). New GI symptoms after D1 were more frequent among IBD than HCW (6.0% vs 2.9%, p=0.001) but not after D2 (12.1% vs 12.7%, p=NS). Relative to HCW, IBD patients reported more diarrhea (3.8% vs. 1% (p<0.001) after D1 and 7.5% vs 4.2% (p=0.003) after D2) and abdominal pain (2.2% vs. 0.4% (p=0.001) after D1 and 6.2% vs 3% (p=0.002) after D2). Severe1 symptoms were noted in 1.5% IBD and 0.3% HCW (p=NS) after D1 and in 3.3% IBD and 0.1% HCW (p<0.001) after D2 (Figure 1). Longer GI symptom duration was more common in IBD than HCW after D1 (2.1% vs 0.5%, p=0.002) and D2 (5.4% vs. 2.1%, p<0.001). Among 423 CD and 300 UC patients with PRO2 data, 71%, 68%, and 65% of CD and 86%, 86%, and 83% of UC were in clinical remission at baseline, after D1, and after D2, respectively. Conclusion: The frequency of GI symptoms in IBD was greater than HCW after D1, but similar after D2. More severe and longer duration of GI symptoms were noted in a small number of IBD patients. Reassuringly, the mRNA vaccines do not seem to increase the risk of a disease flare in the vast majority of IBD patients.
ABSTRACT
Objective: identification of the relationship between the news coverage of global diseases and the dynamics of the return on shares of the pharmaceutical sector for Russia and the United States. Material and methods. The empirical base of the study includes more than 700 thousand tweets on Ebola and COVID-19 in Russian and English, news of the RBC news agency. The sentiment of the text was assessed on the basis of five English and four Russian-language dictionaries, the influence of fundamental and textual variables on the profitability of pharmaceutical companies' shares was carried out using the ARMAX-GARCH econometric model. Results. It has been proven that the dynamics of the stock index of pharmaceutical companies is explained by fundamental (economic) and sentimental factors. News of any epidemics negatively affects the pharmaceutical sector in the US and Russia, that is, there are no industries that benefit from this situation. Pandemic news affects US pharmaceutical companies more than Russian companies. The effect of news influence depends on the level of spread of the disease. News influences not only at the moment of their publication, but also after: there is a "delayed effect". Ebola news affects the American pharmaceutical market for 2 weeks, and the dynamics of the increase in influence can be traced. News on the COVID pandemic amplifies its impact during 1 week for the Russian pharmaceutical market and for 2 weeks for the US pharmaceutical companies. As for news sources, the elastic network has identified more significant variables based on publications from RBC;therefore, Internet publications generate more publicity, shaping a more significant overall sentiment in the markets. Conclusion. The models developed in the framework of the study and the economic conclusions obtained have not only theoretical, but also practical significance, and can also be used for further research in this area. It is possible to give recommendations on the practical use of dictionaries to assess the sentiment of the text. In our study, the elastic network method chose the Loughran–McDonald dictionary for evaluating economic texts in English and the EcSentiThemeLex dictionary (designed in R and Python programming environments). Avenues for further investigation may include analysis of other sources of information about the pandemic. © 2021 Farmakoekonomika. All rights reserved.