In a recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, researchers attempted to investigate the frequency, determinants, and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination among patients with AD. The primary objective was to ascertain rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection, along with COVID-19–associated hospitalization and mortality. The secondary endpoint was to assess the impact of different AD–related treatment modalities on the effectiveness of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. In this population-based cohort study, the researchers evaluated 77,682 adult patients with AD. Of those patients, 58,582 (75.4%) had received two BNT162b2 messenger RNA vaccine doses.

The results revealed that adult-onset diseases predicted heightened likelihood of vaccination (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.34; 95% CI, 1.28-1.4), as did moderate to severe disease (aOR = 1.13; 95% CI, 1.05-1.21). Vaccination among those with AD was correlated with a significant decline in risk for the virus (adjusted HR [aHR] = 0.2; 95% CI, 0.16-0.26). Moreover, COVID-19–associated hospitalization (aHR = 0.08; 95% CI, 0.04-0.18) and mortality (aHR = 0.04; 95% CI, 0.01-0.2) were also lower among vaccinated AD patients.

Exposure to immunosuppressive drugs (n = 597; 0.8% of patients) did not impair the protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection after vaccination (aHR, 0.95; 95% CI 0.13-6.81; P = .958). Additional data revealed that any exposure to immunosuppressive drugs did not affect the effectiveness of the vaccine (aHR = 1.8; 95% CI, 0.57-5.69).

The researchers wrote, "Patients with AD displayed a very high vaccination rate. Patients with adult-onset and moderate-to-severe AD, as well as those with older age and severe comorbid conditions, were more likely to get vaccinated. The BNT162b2 vaccine decreased the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19-associated hospitalization, and mortality by 80, 92, and 96%, respectively. In the small percentage of patients taking immunosuppressive drugs or undergoing phototherapy, these treatments did not hamper the effectiveness of the vaccine in protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infection."

The researchers concluded that in patients with AD, COVID-19 vaccination is very effective for a broad range of COVID-19Ðrelated outcomes, and the use of immunosuppressive drugs did not impair the effectiveness of the mRNA vaccines in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection in this study.

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