The association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and new onset of immune-mediated diseases is of interest given the conflicting evidence. This study aims to gather evidence and estimate the risk of immune-mediated diseases following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Analytical observational studies reporting immune-mediated diseases after confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, compared to individuals without infection history, were included. Thirty-nine immune-mediated diseases were defined as outcomes of interest. Studies including diagnosis within the first 30 days post-infection were excluded. PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Europe PMC were consulted. Relative risks were pooled using a random-effects model and the Mantel-Haenszel method. Eight studies met the eligibility criteria. Meta-analyses were conducted for 13 outcomes of interest from six studies. The SARS-CoV-2 exposed group exhibited significantly higher risks for 11 conditions compared to non-exposed group: Behçet's disease, spondyloarthritis, systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, polymyalgia rheumatica, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome, type 1 diabetes (in adults), vasculitis, and inflammatory bowel disease. The range of the associations varied between 2.31 (95 % CI: 1.87-2.85) for systemic sclerosis to 3.71 (95 % CI: 1.18-11.72) for Behçet's disease. Guillain-Barré syndrome and type 1 diabetes (in the paediatric population) showed no evidence of association with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our results support a higher risk of developing at least 11 immune-mediated diseases evaluated. As autoimmunity is a hallmark of post-COVID-19 syndrome, an increase in these diseases may be expected in the future. Healthcare professionals and stakeholders should prioritize research and public health surveillance based on these findings.
Gil et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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