063 Autoimmunity and disease outcomes of COVID-19, lessons from vitiligo patients

Abstract

To date the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing with over 5 million registered deaths and over 1 million confirmed new cases daily Still limited information about the possible risks and protective factors for the severity and mortality of COVID-19 The initiation of the immune response in vitiligo is triggered by IFN-I production. Likewise, IFN-I and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) play also an important role against SARS-CoV-2 virus including COVID-19 Patients with vitiligo have a genetic susceptibility profile that encodes for immune and apoptotic regulators A retrospective online questionnaire study (4 categories) was conducted in a cohort of vitiligo patients and healthy controls between November 2021 and January 2022. Categories: 1. Participant characteristics 2. COVID-19 risk factors 3. COVID-19 4. Vitiligo 209 participants completed the questionnaire 1. Do vitiligo patients clear a SARS-CoV-2 infection more efficiently compared to healthy controls? There was no significant relationship between vitiligo and developing COVID-19 [P=.930]. 35 [22%] vitiligo patients and 11 [22%] controls developed COVID-19. Univariate logistic regression models showed no confounding factors for developing COVID-19. 2. Do vitiligo patients have a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 compared to healthy controls? There was a significant difference between having fever in vitiligo patients compared to healthy controls [p=.036], all other symptoms did not show a significant difference. 1 patient with vitiligo was admitted to the hospital, he was known with obesity and ITP. 10 vitiligo patients [28.6%] and 25 controls [45.5%] suffered from post-COVID-19 symptoms [P=.297]. The lingering symptoms between the two groups were similar: loss of smell, tiredness and shortness of breath were mostly reported. 3. Does a SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 increase the activity of vitiligo? 10 vitiligo patients reported that their vitiligo increased after COVID-19, all these patients already had an active vitiligo before or during COVID-19. 25 vitiligo patients reported that their vitiligo remained stable after COVID-19.