Overview of autoantibodies in COVID‐19 convalescents

Abstract

Accumulating evidence shows that SARS‐CoV‐2 can potentially trigger autoimmune processes, which can be responsible for the long‐term consequences of COVID‐19. Therefore, this paper aims to review the autoantibodies reported in COVID‐19 convalescents. Six main groups were distinguished: (i) autoantibodies against components of the immune system, (ii) autoantibodies against components of the cardiovascular system, (iii) thyroid autoantibodies, (iv) autoantibodies specific for rheumatoid diseases, (v) antibodies against G‐protein coupled receptors, and (vi) other autoantibodies. The evidence reviewed here clearly highlights that SARS‐CoV‐2 infection may induce humoral autoimmune responses. However, the available studies share number of limitations, such as: (1) the sole presence of autoantibodies does not necessarily implicate the clinically‐relevant risks, (2) functional investigations were rarely performed and it is often unknown whether observed autoantibodies are pathogenic, (3) the control seroprevalence, in healthy, noninfected individuals was often not reported; thus it is sometimes unknown whether the detected autoantibodies are the result of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection or the accidental post‐COVID‐19 detection, (4) the presence of autoantibodies was rarely correlated with symptoms of the post‐COVID‐19 syndrome, (5) the size of the studied groups were often small, (6) the studies focused predominantly on adult populations, (7) age‐ and sex‐related differences in seroprevalence of autoantibodies were rarely explored, (8) genetic predispositions that may be involved in generation of autoantibodies during SARS‐CoV‐2 infections were not investigated, and (9) the autoimmune reactions following infection with SARS‐CoV‐2 variants that vary in the clinical course of infection remain unexplored. Further longitudinal studies are advocated to assess the link between identified autoantibodies and particular clinical outcomes in COVID‐19 convalescents.

Clinical and immunological characteristics of children diagnosed with—Type 1 diabetes during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…Previous studies showed an elevated rate of autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases during the pandemic, increasing the rate of autoantibodies appearing in people infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 28–30 . Our findings align with these findings as observed by the significantly higher number of children positive for TTG antibodies during the pandemic.…”

Peripheral helper T cells, mavericks of peripheral immune responses

“…In severe COVID-19, Tph cells and DN2 B cells also increase in the peripheral blood, and SHM is low in DN2 B cells ( 23 , 51 ). Upregulation of autoantibodies such as anti-nuclear antibody and ACPA in COVID-19 patients supports the physiological significance of Tph and DN2 cells in COVID-19 patients ( 52 ).…”

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and autoimmune rheumatic diseases: Outcomes and prospects

“…При адаптации классических серологических подходов, включающих метод непрямой иммунофлюоресценции (НИФ) и иммуноферментный метод (ИФМ) с «омиксными» технологиями (белковые микрочипы, мультиплексный анализ, библиотека пептидов, фаговый дисплей, проточная цитофлюориметрия, масс-спектрометрия и др. ), определяющихся как «аутоантигеномика» [112], в сыворотках пациентов с COVID-19 обнаружен широкий спектр органоспецифических и органонеспецифических аутоантител, некоторые из которых «уникальны» для COVID-19, другие встречаются при различных аутоиммунных заболеваниях [7][8][9][10][11][113][114][115][116]. Аутоантитела, выявляемые в сыворотках пациентов, инфицированных SARS-CoV-2, в различные периоды болезни, можно условно разделить на следующие основные категории:…”