A possible link between certain psoriasis treatments and respiratory-tract infection risk
Studies show further investigation of certain autoimmune-disease medications are needed amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
After examining data from large trials of autoimmune-disease medications called Interleukin-17 (IL-17) inhibitors, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine found individuals who took these treatments were about 30-60% more likely to develop symptoms associated with respiratory-tract infections. The findings could signify that IL-17 inhibitors may influence susceptibility to different viral and other types of respiratory infections. Since the novel coronavirus is a type of viral respiratory infection, the results also encourage further investigation into a potential relationship between IL-17 inhibitors and COVID-19. The study was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
IL-17 inhibitors are commonly prescribed to patients with certain autoimmune diseases, like psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis to decrease symptoms because they disrupt the attacks that an over-active immune system can launch on itself. Penn researchers saw an increase in the number of diagnoses and symptoms consistent with respiratory-tract infections in IL-17-inhibitor-treated participants as compared to those in a placebo group. This indicates that patients taking IL-17 inhibitors could be more susceptible to respiratory infections. These infections typically are benign and self-limited, but the emergence of SARS-Cov-2 has demonstrated the potential for serious health consequences of novel respiratory infections.
“Our patients are concerned about the immune suppressive effects of their treatments,” says lead author Joel Gelfand,a professor of dermatology and epidemiology and the director of the Penn Psoriasis and Phototherapy Treatment Center. “Our findings point to the need to determine whether IL-17 inhibitors make patients more susceptible to COVID-19 infection.”
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