Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Aug 07, 2025 2 days, 23 hours, 48 minutes ago
Medical News: New Global Study Confirms Link Between SARS-CoV-2 and Autoimmune Diseases
A new international study led by researchers from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, and Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá has confirmed a troubling connection between COVID-19 and the onset of immune-mediated diseases. Their systematic review and meta-analysis showed that individuals who had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 faced a significantly higher risk of developing a wide range of autoimmune conditions—even more than 30 days after recovery.
Autoimmune Epidemic Unfolding After COVID-19
This
Medical News report reveals that the team analyzed data from eight large population-based studies across the United States, Europe, and Israel. They focused specifically on people who were newly diagnosed with autoimmune diseases after a confirmed COVID-19 infection, ensuring that any diagnoses made within 30 days of infection were excluded to avoid bias from previously undetected cases. The researchers identified 11 autoimmune diseases for which risk increased by 2 to 4 times among COVID survivors.
Autoimmune Diseases Triggered by COVID-19
The study found a significant association between COVID-19 and the later development of diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, systemic sclerosis, spondyloarthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome, polymyalgia rheumatica, Behçet’s disease, and type 1 diabetes (in adults). For example, the risk of developing Behçet’s disease was 3.71 times higher among those infected with COVID-19, and for rheumatoid arthritis, the risk was 3.41 times greater.
Interestingly, while adult-onset type 1 diabetes showed a clear increase in risk, the same was not seen in children. Similarly, Guillain-Barré syndrome did not appear linked to COVID-19 in the general analysis, though further examination with longer follow-up suggested a delayed association might still exist.
Why Is COVID Triggering Autoimmunity
The researchers believe that COVID-19 may trigger autoimmunity by overstimulating the immune system. The virus appears to increase inflammation and vascular damage, activate certain immune cells to produce autoantibodies, and mimic human proteins—leading the body to mistakenly attack its own tissues. These mechanisms are already known to play a role in autoimmune diseases, and COVID-19 seems to amplify them.
The team also explained how COVID-19 might worsen existing conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis by disrupting immune balance. They warned that these findings indicate a likely rise in cases of immune-mediated diseases in the post-pandemic era.
Implications for Public Health
This is the first comprehensive meta-analysis using population-based cohort studies that excludes early-onset bias and compares COVID-positive individuals with non-infected contr
ols. The results strengthen the theory that SARS-CoV-2 can trigger autoimmune diseases in previously healthy people.
Healthcare systems worldwide should be alert to this potential wave of post-COVID autoimmune conditions. Long-term clinical monitoring of COVID survivors is now crucial, especially in countries where access to post-infection care is limited. These findings also highlight the need for more research in low- and middle-income populations to see if similar patterns emerge.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Seminars in Arthritis & Rheumatism
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0049017225001763
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Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/covid-19-can-trigger-deadly-autoimmune-hemolytic-anemia-which-often-shows-no-early-symptoms
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/warning-various-studies-confirm-that-covid-19-increases-risk-of-developing-autoimmune-diseases-including-new-types-of-autoimmune-conditions
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/list-of-86-of-167-autoantibodies-that-covid-19-infections-and-vaccines-induces-in-the-human-host-part1
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