How Safe Are COVID-19 Vaccines in Individuals with Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases? The SUCCEED Study

We were tasked by Canada’s COVID-19 Immunity Task Force to describe severe adverse events (SAEs) associated with emergency department (ED) visits and/or hospitalizations in individuals with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). At eight Canadian centres, data were collected from adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), axial spondyloarthritis (AxS), systemic lupus (SLE), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We administered questionnaires, analyzing SAEs experienced within 31 days following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. About two-thirds (63%) of 1556 participants were female; the mean age was 52.5 years. The BNT162b2 (Pfizer) vaccine was the most common, with mRNA-1273 (Moderna) being second. A total of 49% of participants had IBD, 27.4% had RA, 14.3% had PsA, 5.3% had SpA, and 4% had SLE. Twelve (0.77% of 1556 participants) SAEs leading to an ED visit or hospitalization were self-reported, occurring in 11 participants. SAEs included six (0.39% of 1556 participants) ED visits (including one due to Bell’s Palsy 31 days after first vaccination) and six (0.39% of 1556 participants) hospitalizations (including one due to Guillain-Barré syndrome 15 days after the first vaccination). Two SAEs included pericarditis, one involved SLE (considered a serious disease flare), and one involved RA. Thus, in the 31 days after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in our IMID sample, very few serious adverse events occurred. As SARS-CoV2 continues to be a common cause of death, our findings may help optimize vaccination acceptance.