ArticleArthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.)2022
B Cell Reconstitution Is Strongly Associated With COVID-19 Vaccine Responsiveness in Rheumatic Disease Patients Who Received Treatment With Rituximab.
Article in Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness and Safety of Rituximab in Patients with Refractory Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Tertiary Center Experience.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Review
- SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine-Induced Seroconversion and Immune Correlates in Patients with Hematological Malignancies. A Real World Study.Oncology research · 2025Article
- Immunosuppressants in dermatology on vaccine immunogenicity: a prospective cohort study of pemphigus patients in the pandemic.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Article
- Managing Immunosuppression in Vasculitis Patients in Times of Coronavirus Disease 2019.Rheumatic diseases clinics of North America · 2023Review
- COVID-19 vaccination in patients with rheumatic diseases leads to a high seroconversion rate and reduced self-imposed isolation and shielding behaviour.Modern rheumatology · 2023Article
- Low Peripheral B-Cell Counts in Patients With Systemic Rheumatic Diseases Due to Treatment With Belimumab and/or Rituximab Are Associated With Low Antibody Responses to Primary COVID-19 Vaccination.HSS journal : the musculoskeletal journal of Hospital for Special Surgery · 2023Article
- B Cell Reconstitution is Associated With COVID-19 Booster Vaccine Responsiveness in Patients Previously Seronegative Treated With Rituximab.The Journal of rheumatology · 2023Article
- Microfluidic antibody profiling after repeated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination links antibody affinity and concentration to impaired immunity and variant escape in patients on anti-CD20 therapy.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Article
- Optimal time for COVID-19 vaccination in rituximab-treated dermatologic patients.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Article
- The optimal interval before receiving SARS-COV-2 vaccination for patients who have received Anti-CD 20 monoclonal antibodies.Virulence · 2022Review
- COVID-19 in patients with B cell immune deficiency.Journal of immunological methods · 2022Article
- Response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in patients receiving B-cell modulating antibodies for renal autoimmune disease.BMC infectious diseases · 2022Observational
- COVID-19 in people with rheumatic diseases: risks, outcomes, treatment considerations.Nature reviews. Rheumatology · 2022Review
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo assess the association of a detectable antibody response to COVID-19 vaccination with factors including B cell depletion in patients who received treatment with rituximab (RTX).
methodsWe conducted a retrospective review of the charts of adult patients who received treatment with RTX and completed messenger RNA vaccination for SARS-CoV-2. The primary outcome measure was the presence or absence and strength of the serologic antibody response to vaccination. Comparisons between those with and those without a detectable serologic response were calculated using t-tests, Fisher's exact test, and Wilcoxon's rank sum test. The relationship between the serologic response to COVID-19 vaccination and B cell reconstitution status was assessed using negative predictive values and positive predictive values with data reported as percentages with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs).
resultsIn 56 patients being treated with RTX, a significant difference in terms of the level of B cell reconstitution was observed in those with a positive serologic response compared to those with a negative serologic response to vaccination (proportion of B cells reconstituted among total lymphocytes, median 2% [interquartile range (IQR) 0.13-10%] versus median 0% [IQR 0-0%]; P < 0.001).There was also a significant difference in the time since the last RTX infusion between patients with a positive serologic response compared to those with a negative serologic response to vaccination (median time since last infusion 594 days [IQR 262-1,163] versus median 138 days [IQR 68-197]; P < 0.001). There was no serologic response to COVID-19 vaccination after the last exposure to RTX in 13% of patients (3 of 24) at >12 months after last exposure, 55% of patients (6 of 11) at 6-12 months after last exposure, and 86% of patients (18 of 21) at <6 months after last exposure.
conclusionB cell reconstitution and a longer time since a patient's last exposure to RTX are associated with a positive serologic response to the COVID-19 vaccine. Strategies for maximizing vaccine responsiveness in patients who receive treatment with RTX should incorporate assessment of B cell reconstitution.
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