Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in paraguayan patients with rheumatoid arthritis

  • Sonia Cabrera Villalba Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Hospital de Clínicas, Departamento de Reumatología. San Lorenzo, Paraguay. Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Hospital Central del Instituto de Previsión Social, Servicio de Reumatología. Asunción, Paraguay https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6224-2679
  • Paloma de Abreu Sociedad Paraguaya de Reumatología- Asunción – Paraguay https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2076-8258
  • Raquel Aranda Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Hospital de Clínicas, Departamento de Reumatología. San Lorenzo- Paraguay https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0426-9600
  • Angelica Amarilla Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Hospital Central del Instituto de Previsión Social, Servicio de Reumatología. Asunción - Paraguay https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0094-7309
  • Mariela Zarza Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Hospital Central del Instituto de Previsión Social, Servicio de Reumatología. Asunción - Paraguay https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4613-2674
  • Evelyn Leiva Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Hospital de Clínicas, Departamento de Reumatología. San Lorenzo- Paraguay https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7162-6951
  • Paola Pussineri Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Hospital de Clínicas, Departamento de Reumatología. San Lorenzo- Paraguay https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3406-1448
  • Lourdes Román Ministerio de Salud Pública y Bienestar Social, Hospital General de Villa Elisa https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4994-6152
  • Vannia Valinotti Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Hospital Central del Instituto de Previsión Social, Servicio de Reumatología. Asunción - Paraguay https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0474-7729
  • Sonia Arza Fernández Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Hospital de Clínicas, Departamento de Medicina Preventiva. Asunción – Paraguay. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2160-5741
  • Gabriela Avila Pedretti Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Hospital de Clínicas, Departamento de Reumatología. San Lorenzo- Paraguay. Universidad Católica Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Hospital Central del Instituto de Previsión Social, Servicio de Reumatología. Asunción - Paraguay http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6526-6278
Keywords: Vaccination, COVID-19, rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Introduction: Vaccination in populations exposed to increased risk of severe disease and death consequent to SARS-CoV-2 infection has generated a major impact on global Public Health. Certainly, the benefit has been evidenced mostly in people with chronic comorbidities, where rheumatoid arthritis (RA) plays an important role.

Objective: To analyze vaccination against Sars-CoV-2 in paraguayan patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) during the COVID19 pandemic.

Methods: A multicenter study was carried out, in which a cohort of patients with RA was analyzed cross-sectionally, during the period from October to December 2022. For the study, clinical-epidemiological and vaccination-related variables were recorded (i.e. access to vaccination, type, number of doses). A descriptive analysis of the variables was carried out with the R-4.3.2 software.

Results: 568 patients were included, 84.1% were female, with an average age of 55.5±13.9 years. 88.7% (504) patients received at least one dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, 85% (483) received two doses, while 60.9% (344) patients received the first booster, and 21.2% the second booster.

Conclusions: In this series of Paraguayan patients with RA the percentage of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 was higher than that registered in the general population of the country. This could be related to the priority of this population to access vaccines and the insistence of their physicians to complete the vaccination schedule.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

(1) Nemeth D, Vago H, Tothfalusi L, Ulakcsai Z, Becker D, Szabo Z, et al. Factors influencing the SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination induced immune response in rheumatoid arthritis. Frontiers in immunology. 2022;13:960001.

(2) Jeffrey AS, Zachary SW, Andrea MS, Milena AG, Zara I, Kimme LH, et al. Associations of baseline use of biologic or targeted synthetic DMARDs with COVID-19 severity in rheumatoid arthritis: Results from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance physician registry. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2021;80(9):1137.

(3) Belleudi V, Rosa AC, Poggi FR, Armuzzi A, Nicastri E, Goletti D, et al. Direct and Indirect Impact of COVID-19 for Patients with Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Journal of clinical medicine. 2021;10(11).

(4) Aletaha D, Neogi T, Silman AJ, Funovits J, Felson DT, Bingham CO, 3rd, et al. 2010 Rheumatoid arthritis classification criteria: an American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism collaborative initiative. Arthritis Rheum. 2010;62(9):2569-81.

(5) Salud OPdl. Análisis de la vacunación contra la COVID-19 en la Región de las Américas.

Desglose por sexo y edad y en subpoblaciones seleccionadas. 2022.

(6) Mertens G, Lodder P, Smeets T, Duijndam S. Fear of COVID-19 predicts vaccination willingness 14 months later. Journal of anxiety disorders. 2022;88:102574.

(7) Willis DE, Andersen JA, Bryant-Moore K, Selig JP, Long CR, Felix HC, et al. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: Race/ethnicity, trust, and fear. Clinical and translational science. 2021;14(6):2200-7.

(8) Arza-Fernández S. El indudable beneficio de las Vacunas en la Pandemia COVID19. Mem Inst Investig Cienc Salud. 2021;19(1).

(9) Cobertura de vacunación contra COVID-19. Available from: https://pai.mspbs.gov.py/mapainteractivocovid-19/.

(10) Al-Amer R, Maneze D. COVID-19 vaccination intention in the first year of the pandemic: A systematic review. Journal of clinical nursing. 2022;31(1-2):62-86.

(11) Moola S, Gudi N, Nambiar D, Dumka N, Ahmed T, Sonawane IR, et al. A rapid review of evidence on the determinants of and strategies for COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in low- and middle-income countries. Journal of global health. 2021;11:05027.

(12) Valencia OAR, Gonzalez YB, Daza JS, Villaquiran AF. [Associated factors in the intention of vaccination against COVID-19, in POPAYÁN, Cauca Colombia]. Vacunas. 2023.

Published
2023-12-22
How to Cite
1.
Cabrera Villalba S, de Abreu P, Aranda R, Amarilla A, Zarza M, Leiva E, Pussineri P, Román L, Valinotti V, Arza Fernández S, Avila Pedretti G. Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in paraguayan patients with rheumatoid arthritis . Rev. parag. reumatol. [Internet]. 2023Dec.22 [cited 2025Apr.19];9(2):53-7. Available from: http://revista.spr.org.py/index.php/spr/article/view/188
Section
ORIGINAL ARTICLES