New Study Examines Pediatric IBD Response to COVID-19 Immunization

Despite being treated with immunosuppressive agents, children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) responded positively to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, researchers found in a new study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

“Humoral immune response to COVID-19 immunization in children with IBD was robust, despite a high proportion of this pediatric cohort being treated with immunosuppressive agents,” the researchers stated. “Overall, these findings provide a high level of reassurance that pediatric patients with IBD respond well and safely to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.”

Children with IBD may respond to vaccinations differently than healthy children or adults with IBD. For the study, researchers collected demographics, IBD characteristics, medication use, and vaccine-related adverse events among children with IBD between ages 5 and 17 years. Only children who received 2 or more doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine were recruited for the study.

Of the 280 children included, only 1 child required an ED visit or hospitalization because of an adverse event. From the 99 children who underwent antireceptor binding domain IgG antibody measurement, 98 children had detectable antibody levels. The analyses found a “mean antibody level of 43.0 μg/mL (SD 67) and a median of 22 μg/mL (interquartile range 12–38)”

Upon further analyses, researchers found that older children and children who were treated with antitumor necrosis factor (TNF)monotherapy compared with immunomodulators alone generally evidenced a decreased antibody level. The pediatric subset treated with anti-TNF combination therapy vs anti-TNF monotherapy registered a numerically lower antibody response, although the difference did not reach statistical significance.

—Priyam Vora

Reference:
Kastl AJ, Weaver KN, Zhang X et al. Humoral immune response and safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease. The American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2023: 118(1); 129-137. DOI: 10.14309/ajg.0000000000002016