No Impact of Immunomodulatory Treatments on COVID-19 Vaccine Outcomes: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Immunomodulator Use in Psoriasis and Hidradenitis Patients

Bella, a fifth-year MD/PhD student from Ohio State University, presents a study investigating the impact of immunomodulatory treatments on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in patients with psoriasis and hidradenitis. The research uses the Epic Cosmos database, which encompasses over 295 million patient records, to compare hospitalization rates due to COVID-19 between vaccinated patients on immunomodulatory drugs and those not taking them. It was found that vaccinated patients on these treatments showed no significant difference in hospitalization rates compared to those not on the medications. However, unvaccinated patients on biologics experienced higher hospitalization rates. The study emphasizes the importance of a homogeneous cohort and highlights limitations such as the inability to perform multivariate adjustments due to database access constraints. Bella advocates for the significance of this real-time updated database, suggesting it enhances providers' ability to offer data-driven recommendations, fostering trust in patient-provider relationships.