MedPageToday Lengthy viral antigen persistence far more common, regardless of prior vaccination. Drugs commonly used to treat systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) may keep the SARS-CoV-2 circulating after COVID-19 infection in patients with these conditions, with researchers documenting substantially increased viral antigen persistence compared with other post-COVID patients.
Tests for 40% of SARDs patients remained positive for at least one SARS-CoV-2 antigen 3 months after infection in one prospectively assembled cohort, compared with 17.5% of COVID-19 patients without SARDs from a separate prospective study, according to Naomi Patel, MD, MPH, of the Mass General Brigham health system in Boston, and colleagues.