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Coronavirus disease COVID is a real challenge for humanity with high morbidity and mortality. Despite being primarily a respiratory illness, COVID can affect nearly every human body tissue, causing many diseases. After viral infection, the immune system can recognize the viral antigens presented by the immune cells.
This immune response is usually controlled and terminated once the infection is aborted. Nevertheless, in some patients, the immune reaction becomes out of control with the development of autoimmune diseases. The immunogenic effects of SARS-CoV-2 are due to the sizeable viral RNA molecules with interrupted transcription increasing the pool of epitopes with increased chances of molecular mimicry and interaction with the host immune system, the overlap between some viral and human peptides, the viral induced-tissue damage, and the robust and complex binding between sACE-2 and SARS-CoV-2 S protein.
Consequently, COVID and its vaccine may trigger the development of many autoimmune diseases in a predisposed patient. This review discusses the mutual relation between COVID and autoimmune diseases, their interactive effects on each other, the role of the COVID vaccine in triggering autoimmune diseases, the factors affecting the severity of COVID in patients suffering from autoimmune diseases, and the different ways to minimize the risk of COVID in patients with autoimmune diseases.
Patients with immune deficiencies or autoimmune disorders are at a higher risk for infection with COVID, as they are frequently treated with anti-cytokine, glucocorticoids, and immunosuppressive drugs.
