Incidence of Autoimmune Diseases Involving the Skin, After Acute COVID-19

Multiple autoimmune diseases developed more often among people who had COVID-19 than among those who did not.

Several small studies with relatively short follow-up have shown excess risk for various autoimmune diseases following acute COVID-19 episodes. Using a South Korean national health database, investigators determined the number of cases of new autoimmune diseases that can involve the skin in 3 million people who developed well-documented acute COVID-19 and in nearly 4 million controls who did not have COVID-19. Average follow-up was 287 days. None of the COVID-19 patients or controls had documented autoimmune diseases prior to the pandemic.

After multivariate adjustment for potential confounders, several autoimmune diseases were found to have developed significantly more often in COVID-19 patients: alopecia totalis, Behçet disease, Crohn dise…

Reviewing Author

Anthony L. Komaroff, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardSerImmune Inc.; DxTerity

Grant / Research SupportNIH (1U54NS105542-01)

Editorial BoardsHarvard Health Letter; UpToDate

Anthony L. Komaroff, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardSerImmune Inc.; DxTerity

Grant / Research SupportNIH (1U54NS105542-01)

Editorial BoardsHarvard Health Letter; UpToDate

Incidence of Autoimmune Diseases Involving the Skin, After Acute COVID-19

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Reviewing Author