• All News
• Consumer
• Pro
• New Drugs
• Pipeline
• Clinical Trials
• FDA Alerts

Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 Risk Varies Across Immunosuppressive Conditions

Medically reviewed by Judith Stewart, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 31, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 31, 2024 -- The risk for prolonged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) varies across immunosuppressive conditions, according to a study published in the Jan. 24 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

Yijia Li, M.D., from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues performed a detailed viro-immunologic analysis of a prospective cohort of patients with COVID-19 to examine the immune defects that predispose an individual to persistent COVID-19.

The researchers found that in individuals with severe immunosuppression due to hematologic malignancy or transplant (S-HT), the median times to nasal viral RNA and culture clearance were 72 and 40 days, respectively, which were significantly longer than clearance rates for patients with severe immunosuppression due to autoimmunity or B cell deficiency (S-A), those with nonsevere immunodeficiency, and those who were not immunocompromised. Greater SARS-CoV-2 evolution and a higher risk for developing resistance against therapeutic monoclonal antibodies were seen in severely immunocompromised individuals. Diminished SARS-CoV-2-specific humoral responses were seen for S-HT and S-A patients, while reduced T-cell mediated responses were only seen in the S-HT group.

"Our results highlight the finding that the risk of chronic SARS-CoV-2 infection is not uniform across immunosuppressive conditions and provide clarity on which immunosuppression conditions predispose individuals to delayed SARS-CoV-2 RNA and culture clearance as well as viral evolution," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted January 2024

More news resources

• FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
• Daily MedNews
• News for Health Professionals
• New Drug Approvals
• New Drug Applications
• Drug Shortages
• Clinical Trial Results
• Generic Drug Approvals

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.