Immunoinflammatory evidence of rheumatoid arthritis caused by COVID-19
Abstract Purpose The relationship between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains uncertain. We aimed to assess the association between COVID-19 and RA through immune inflammation. Methods First, we conducted a meta-analysis on the risk of COVID-19 infection, hospit...
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BMC
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Biological Research |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40659-025-00620-7 |
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| author | Zhiqiang Shao Dan Xia Liang Zhou Zonghan Xu Jiaqian Wang |
| author_facet | Zhiqiang Shao Dan Xia Liang Zhou Zonghan Xu Jiaqian Wang |
| author_sort | Zhiqiang Shao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Purpose The relationship between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains uncertain. We aimed to assess the association between COVID-19 and RA through immune inflammation. Methods First, we conducted a meta-analysis on the risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization rate, and mortality rate for patients with RA. Then, Mendelian randomization (MR) was used to evaluate the causal relationship between COVID-19 and RA, and further analyzed the cytokines and immune cells in COVID-19 and RA. Finally, we obtained microarray datasets of COVID-19, RA patients, and normal controls from the GEO database. And performed functional, pathway enrichment, and immune cell infiltration analysis on differentially expressed genes between each group. Results The meta-analysis results suggested that the hospitalization rate and mortality rate of RA patients infected with COVID-19 were higher than those of the control population. MR analysis showed a positive correlation between COVID-19 infection and RA. We also found that interleukin 13 was associated with RA and COVID-19 infection. CD27 on IgD + CD24 + B cells and CD3 on CD39 + CD8 + T cells are common immune cell phenotypes in two diseases. In addition, COVID-19 function is enriched in immune responses mediated by leukocytes and neutrophils, while RA is significantly enriched in the proliferation of T and B lymphocytes. The results of immune cell infiltration showed that both diseases had more neutrophils and fewer CD8 T cells. Conclusion There are many similarities between COVID-19 and RA in immune inflammatory responses such as cytokines and immune cells. COVID-19 may lead to the development of RA through immune inflammation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3a8d7dc77a1c46acb94576ed5b96d0db |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0717-6287 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | Biological Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-3a8d7dc77a1c46acb94576ed5b96d0db2025-08-20T03:20:59ZengBMCBiological Research0717-62872025-06-0158111310.1186/s40659-025-00620-7Immunoinflammatory evidence of rheumatoid arthritis caused by COVID-19Zhiqiang Shao0Dan Xia1Liang Zhou2Zonghan Xu3Jiaqian Wang4Department of Orthopedic, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Gusu School of Nanjing Medical UniversityDepartment of Respiratory, Affiliated Wuxi Fifth Hospital of Jiangnan UniversityDepartment of Orthopedic, Huai’an Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, The Fifth People’s Hospital of Huai’anDepartment of Orthopedic, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Gusu School of Nanjing Medical UniversityDepartment of Orthopedic, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan UniversityAbstract Purpose The relationship between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains uncertain. We aimed to assess the association between COVID-19 and RA through immune inflammation. Methods First, we conducted a meta-analysis on the risk of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization rate, and mortality rate for patients with RA. Then, Mendelian randomization (MR) was used to evaluate the causal relationship between COVID-19 and RA, and further analyzed the cytokines and immune cells in COVID-19 and RA. Finally, we obtained microarray datasets of COVID-19, RA patients, and normal controls from the GEO database. And performed functional, pathway enrichment, and immune cell infiltration analysis on differentially expressed genes between each group. Results The meta-analysis results suggested that the hospitalization rate and mortality rate of RA patients infected with COVID-19 were higher than those of the control population. MR analysis showed a positive correlation between COVID-19 infection and RA. We also found that interleukin 13 was associated with RA and COVID-19 infection. CD27 on IgD + CD24 + B cells and CD3 on CD39 + CD8 + T cells are common immune cell phenotypes in two diseases. In addition, COVID-19 function is enriched in immune responses mediated by leukocytes and neutrophils, while RA is significantly enriched in the proliferation of T and B lymphocytes. The results of immune cell infiltration showed that both diseases had more neutrophils and fewer CD8 T cells. Conclusion There are many similarities between COVID-19 and RA in immune inflammatory responses such as cytokines and immune cells. COVID-19 may lead to the development of RA through immune inflammation.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40659-025-00620-7COVID-19Rheumatoid arthritisImmune cellsMendelian randomizationMeta-analysis |
| spellingShingle | Zhiqiang Shao Dan Xia Liang Zhou Zonghan Xu Jiaqian Wang Immunoinflammatory evidence of rheumatoid arthritis caused by COVID-19 Biological Research COVID-19 Rheumatoid arthritis Immune cells Mendelian randomization Meta-analysis |
| title | Immunoinflammatory evidence of rheumatoid arthritis caused by COVID-19 |
| title_full | Immunoinflammatory evidence of rheumatoid arthritis caused by COVID-19 |
| title_fullStr | Immunoinflammatory evidence of rheumatoid arthritis caused by COVID-19 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Immunoinflammatory evidence of rheumatoid arthritis caused by COVID-19 |
| title_short | Immunoinflammatory evidence of rheumatoid arthritis caused by COVID-19 |
| title_sort | immunoinflammatory evidence of rheumatoid arthritis caused by covid 19 |
| topic | COVID-19 Rheumatoid arthritis Immune cells Mendelian randomization Meta-analysis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40659-025-00620-7 |
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