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Associated risk factors and genetic variants for incident autoimmune disorders following SARS-CoV-2 infection in adults in Ontario

  • Funded by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
  • Total publications:0 publications

Grant number: 496568

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Key facts

  • Disease

    COVID-19

  • start year

    2023

  • Known Financial Commitments (USD)

    $75,954.27

  • Funder

    Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

  • Principal Investigator

    Grima Alicia A

  • Research Location

    Canada

  • Lead Research Institution

    University of Toronto

  • Research Priority Alignment

    N/A

  • Research Category

    Pathogen: natural history, transmission and diagnostics

  • Research Subcategory

    Immunity

  • Special Interest Tags

    N/A

  • Study Type

    Non-Clinical

  • Clinical Trial Details

    N/A

  • Broad Policy Alignment

    Pending

  • Age Group

    Adults (18 and older)

  • Vulnerable Population

    Unspecified

  • Occupations of Interest

    Unspecified

Abstract

Long COVID affects an estimated 10% to 70% of individuals who contract the COVID-19 virus. It affects multiple systems in the body, causing symptoms such as cough, fever, and depression. A recent study on those with a history of COVID-19 found increased risks of several autoimmune disorders compared to those without a history of COVID-19. Studies investigating the causes of autoimmune disorders have uncovered complex underlying causes including genetic predispositions and environmental triggers. Research has shown that under normal conditions the age of onset for autoimmune disorders varies heavily between types and within types. Studies have also shown clear differences in the rates of most autoimmune disorders by sex, with females predominantly affected. This study will: 1) Determine the incidence of new onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), and/or psoriasis (Psa) following a COVID-19 infection among adults in Ontario; 2) Investigate the impact of age by sex on new onset RA, SLE, GBS, and/or Psa following a COVID-19 infection among adults in Ontario; and 3) Identify genetic variants associated with autoimmune symptoms of long COVID among adults in Ontario. This study will use Ontario health administration data available through ICES and genetic data from the Canadian COVID Genomics Network (CanCOGeN) HostSeq. With no known cause of long COVID it is extremely important to provide context to this condition. Thus, this research will be a crucial step in helping to demystify the risk factors surrounding long COVID autoimmune disorders. This study may also identify individuals at risk for autoimmune disorders post COVID-19 infection, allowing targeted interventions and treatments to be developed. This would also provide the evidence needed for the conduct of more studies with long-term follow-up or investigating mechanisms of long COVID.