Thread by @tmhohl71

Concerned about the #COVID19 vaccines and autoimmune disease?

Both the #Moderna and #Pfizer vaccines do not contain an attenuated virus or instructions (via mRNA) to make viral particles that could replicate in vaccine recipients. (1/n)

I have psoriatic arthritis (on #methotrexate for about a decade) and had no hesitation to receive the vaccine @sloan_kettering. I am fortunate and was able to stop methotrexate for one month prior - this is atypical for most patients with autoimmune diseases - and will (2/n)

resume the medication a month after the second shot. I stress that this is not a medical recommendation for other patients with psoriatic arthritis or any other autoimmune disease. Patients should discuss how treatments for autoimmune conditions may impact vaccine immunity (3/n)

with their healthcare provider. I made a conscious choice to receive the vaccine and have had no significant side effects beyond the expected sore left arm for one day. I disagree with national authorities that discourage #COVID19 vaccine use in individuals with (4/n)

autoimmunity, for example in #Canada. There was no safety signal in trials in patients with defined damage to the immune system (e.g., stable HIV infection) and autoimmune diseases do not appear to aggravate #COVID19 severity. canada.ca/en/public-heal…

It is strange that we are correctly trying to prioritize vaccination of individuals with co-morbidities such as diabetes mellitus, which in many instances arises from autoimmunity (but is typically not classified as an autoimmune disease in the medical literature). (6/n)

There is an important knowledge gap - how long will vaccine immunity last in individuals with specific autoimmune diseases and on specific immune modulatory agents? Frankly, we do not know how long vaccine immunity will last in immune competent individuals (7/n)

beyond the 3-4 month period studied in vaccine trials. In my opinion, this is not a reason to recommend withholding vaccine from humans with autoimmune diseases. Rather, it is an opportunity to study vaccine immunity in this population. I am happy that #CDC interim (8/n)

guidelines state that "persons with autoimmune conditions who have no contraindications to vaccination may receive an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine". For this individual, receiving the vaccine was an easy choice (9/9). @GermHunterMD #VaccineStrategy #VaccinesWork cdc.gov/vaccines/covid…