Enhanced IgG immune response to COVID-19 vaccination in patients with sickle cell disease.
Hirotomo NakaharaNarayanaiah CheedarlaHans P VerkerkeSuneethamma CheedarlaShang-Chuen WuJeanne Elise HendricksonAndres ChangMorgan L McLemoreFuad El RassiJohn D RobackAndrew S NeishRoss M FasanoSean R StowellPublished in: British journal of haematology (2023)
Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) are considered to be immunocompromised, yet data on the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in SCD is limited. We investigated anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG titres and overall neutralizing activity in 201 adults with SCD and demographically matched non-SCD controls. Unexpectedly, patients with SCD generate a more robust and durable COVID-19 vaccine IgG response compared to matched controls, though the neutralizing activity remained similar across both cohorts. These findings suggest that patients with SCD achieve a similar antibody response following COVID-19 vaccination compared to the general population, with implications for optimal vaccination strategies for patients with SCD.