Scientists from Yonsei University in South Korea found that COVID-19 infection may increase the likelihood of autoimmune disorders such as Crohn’s disease, baldness and sarcoidosis. The research was published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
The authors analyzed data from approximately 355 thousand men and women infected with COVID-19. These were compared to more than six million people who did not have coronavirus.
In COVID-19 patients, the risk of various types of alopecia Areata (hair loss that can lead to baldness in certain areas of the head or body) increased by 12-74%, while the risk of vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels) increased by 12-74%. ) tripled, and the risk of disease increased by 68%. The risk of Crohn’s (intestinal disorders) and sarcoidosis (granuloma formation due to inflammation in various organs) increased by 59%. All these diseases are autoimmune in nature, meaning they are related to the attack of the person’s immune system on his own body.
The authors believe that the increased risk of autoimmune disease after COVID infection is associated with the production of interferons (inflammatory molecules) that help the body fight the virus. This can cause the production of autoantibodies that attack various organs, especially if the person is predisposed to this in the first place.
Scientists stated that the risk of autoimmune disease after Covid-19 in a given person is very low, that this disease will occur in less than 1% of infected people. Severe COVID and vaccine shortages have further increased the likelihood of developing autoimmune diseases after SARS-CoV-2 infection and highlighted the importance of vaccination.
Previous scientists discovered Special antibodies that can neutralize about a third of the 200 viral variants of HIV.