Martínez-Fleta Pedro, Vicente-Rabaneda Esther F, Triguero-Martínez Ana, Roy-Vallejo Emilia, Uriarte-Ecenarro Miren, Gutiérrez-Rodríguez Francisco, Quiroga-Colina Patricia, Romero-Robles Ana, Montes Nuria, García-Castañeda Noelia, Mejía-Abril Gina P, García-Vadillo Jesús A, Llorente-Cubas Irene, Villagrasa José R, Serra López-Matencio José M, Ancochea Julio, Urzainqui Ana, Esparcia-Pinedo Laura, Alfranca Arantzazu, de la Fuente Hortensia, García-Vicuña Rosario, Sánchez-Madrid Francisco, González-Álvaro Isidoro, Castañeda Santos
Department of Immunology, Hospital Universitario de La Princesa IIS-Princesa (Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Universitario de La Princesa), Madrid, Spain.
Department of Rheumatology, Hospital Universitario de La Princesa IIS-Princesa (Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Universitario de La Princesa), Madrid, Spain.
NPJ Vaccines. 2024 Jan 30;9(1):21. doi: 10.1038/s41541-024-00805-3.
B and T cell responses were evaluated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA) after 1 or 2 weeks of methotrexate (MTX) withdrawal following each COVID-19 vaccine dose and compared with those who maintained MTX. Adult RA and PsA patients treated with MTX were recruited and randomly assigned to 3 groups: MTX-maintenance (n = 72), MTX-withdrawal for 1 week (n = 71) or MTX-withdrawal for 2 weeks (n = 73). Specific antibodies to several SARS-CoV-2 antigens and interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-21 responses were assessed. MTX withdrawal in patients without previous COVID-19 was associated with higher levels of anti-RBD IgG and neutralising antibodies, especially in the 2-week withdrawal group and with higher IFN-γ secretion upon stimulation with pools of SARS-CoV-2 S peptides. No increment of RA/PsA relapses was detected across groups. Our data indicate that two-week MTX interruption following COVID-19 vaccination in patients with RA or PsA improves humoral and cellular immune responses.