Investigation of the effect of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on autoantibody positiveness evaluated by the indirect immunofluorescence assay

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the possible relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection and systemic or organ-specific autoimmune diseases. Methods: Serum samples sent to Medical Microbiology Laboratory from patients in various clinics with suspicion of autoimmune disease between March 2018 and March 2022 were included in our study. During this period, the results of the patients whose indirect immunofluorescence antibody parameters were examined in our laboratory were obtained from the automation system of our hospital and evaluated retrospectively. Results: In the two years before the COVID-19 pandemic and in the two years during the pandemic period, 2256 patients who were positive for any autoantibody were included in the study among 8325 patients referred for IIFA. A total of 2448 anti-nuclear antibody patterns were identified, 2038 of which were single pattern (1363 were speckled) and 218 were multiple patterns. When the change in autoantibody positivity over time was examined, it was determined that there was a statistically significant increase in the positivity rates of ANA, anti-dsDNA, anti-ICA and anti-Gliadin autoantibodies in the first two years of the pandemic compared to the previous two years. No difference was observed in the positivity rates of AMA, ASMA, anti-Endomysium, ANCA autoantibodies in all periods before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: The increase in the positivity rates of ANA, anti-dsDNA, anti-ICA, anti-Gliadin autoantibodies during the pandemic period suggested that the COVID-19 process may trigger or aggravate some autoimmune diseases.