Does an Autoimmune Disorder Make You More Susceptible to COVID?

In the year that has passed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the scientific community has been hard at work researching new and improved treatments, vaccines, and the science behind the virus. With this new research and knowledge come new revelations.

One of the biggest revelations since last March is the discovery of the “cytokine storm,” that COVID-19 causes. This hyperimmune response is to blame for many of the COVID-19 symptoms. From the infrequent findings of “COVID toes” or the much more extreme cases of organ damage, the cytokine storm can wreak havoc on a COVID-19 patient. 

With this increased immune response being one of the most note-worthy aspects of the virus, many were left believing that those with autoimmune disorders might be at higher risk for severe COVID-19 cases. This assumption makes sense: autoimmune disorders act in a similar way to the COVID-19 virus, where a person’s immune system turns on the person themself. Autoimmune disorders include conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis (MS), and others.

A main treatment of autoimmune disorders includes immunosuppressant drugs that help keep a person’s immune system weakened in order to avoid the damage it can cause. Unfortunately, this immunosuppressant effect also makes it easier for those with autoimmune disorders to get sick or have more severe illnesses than those without autoimmune conditions.

In relation to COVID-19 then it’s easy to see why those with autoimmune disorders would be assumed to be at higher risk, but does the data from the last year support that? 

Thankfully for those of you that deal with autoimmune conditions in your own or your loved one’s life, the research suggests that autoimmune disorders DO NOT put one at higher risk of either catching the virus or having a more severe case. Data for the majority of the autoimmune disorders included in the study found that infections rates among patients with autoimmune disorders and those without were not significantly different.

Similar results were found when looking at hospitalization and mortality rates for most autoimmune disorders as well. The few outliers from the data found that: COVID-19 infected lupus patients had higher rates of hospitalization than those infected in the general public; and COVID-19 infection rates were around 2-2.5 time higher in those with multiple sclerosis than the general public, but severity and complication rates were comparable to the general public. 

Amazingly, data also found that groups on immunosuppressive drugs actually had LOWER odds of hospitalizations than other groups. This may be because the effects of the harmful cytokine storm immune reaction were muted in this population. This suggests that autoimmune disorder patients taking immunosuppressive treatment may not be nearly as vulnerable as we thought.

While this data and research is very promising, it should be noted that many of these results could very easily be due to the effectiveness of social distancing and wearing masks. Those with autoimmune disorders (and even those without!) should still follow cautionary efforts to avoid becoming infected. 

These findings demonstrate the power that science and research can have. While educated guesses are a good first step, especially in pandemic scenario’s like this, the scientific method is the only way to get down to the truth. Here at Empowered Health, we pride ourself on scientifically backed treatment and analysis for all of our patients.