Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40369546›Full record

ArticlePediatric rheumatology online journal2025

Investigating the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 vaccination, and autoimmune diseases in a pediatric population: a comprehensive analysis.

Cynthia Freiberg, Arad Dotan, Dana Arnheim, Yonatan Butbul Aviel

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pediatric rheumatology online journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Cynthia FreibergMaccabi Healthcare Services, Tel Aviv, Israel. cynthia.marciano@mail.huji.ac.il.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-0119-7423
Arad DotanFaculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel.
Dana ArnheimFaculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel.
Yonatan Butbul AvielDepartment of Pediatrics and Pediatric Rheumatology Service, Rambam Health Care Campus, Ruth Children's Hospital, Haifa, Israel.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic there were reports of an increased association between COVID 19 and various autoimmune diseases (AID) in adults. This study aims to investigate the incidence of AIDs in children before and during the pandemic and explores potential links to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.

methodsWe analyzed 493,705 anonymized medical records from Maccabi Healthcare Services, Israel's second-largest healthcare provider, to study AID incidence during 2014-2022. The study period was divided into three phases: two pre-pandemic phases of equal duration (A and B) and a pandemic phase (C).

resultsOf 4,596 (0.9%) patients diagnosed with an AID in the cohort, incidence rates were 0.9% for Group A (2014-2016), 1.0% for Group B (2017-2019), and 0.9% for Group C (2020-2022) (p = 0.13). Logistic regression showed no significant differences in overall autoimmune disease incidence between the pre-COVID and COVID periods. Notably, specific conditions like celiac disease showed reduced incidence in Group A (OR 0.8309, p = 0.0071) while arthritis was significantly more common in Groups A and B. Additionally, COVID-19 diagnosis was not significantly associated with increased autoimmune disease risk (HR 1.092, p = 0.491); however, receiving at least one COVID vaccine was linked to higher risk (HR 1.2323, p = 0.0033).

conclusionOur findings suggest that the overall incidence of new-onset autoimmune diseases in children remained relatively stable during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study indicates a potential association between COVID-19 vaccination and an increased risk of developing autoimmune diseases, necessitating further research to elucidate long-term effects in the pediatric population.

Indexed as

Autoimmune DiseasesCOVID-19COVID-19 VaccinesAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansIncidenceInfantIsraelMaleSARS-CoV-2VaccinationCOVID-19 VaccinesAutoimmune diseasesCOVID1-19 vaccinationCOVID-19 infectionEpidemiologyPediatric rheumatology

Identifiers

PMID40369546
PMCPMC12080261

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.