United States: A rare autoimmune disease seems to be escalating in the northern regions of England, with recent studies indicating a potential association with COVID-19. Identified as Anti-MDA5 positive dermatomyositis, this condition predominantly affected Asian populations before the pandemic but is now spreading among the Caucasian populace of Yorkshire.
Elicited by antibodies targeting the enzyme MDA5 (melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5), the malady is linked with progressive interstitial lung disease characterized by lung tissue scarring. Between 2020 and 2022, medical practitioners in Yorkshire noted an unprecedented surge of 60 instances of MDA5 autoimmunity, leading to eight fatalities, according to iflscience.com.
Scrutinizing this upsurge in a fresh investigation, scholars highlight that the abrupt surge in cases aligns with the significant waves of COVID-19 infections during the peak pandemic years. This observation is noteworthy as MDA5 serves as an RNA receptor crucial in identifying the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
“In our locale (Yorkshire), we observe a surge in the frequency of anti-MDA5 positivity testing during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, a noteworthy development considering the rarity of this condition in the UK,” stated the researchers. This occurrence, they posit, likely signifies “a distinctive manifestation of MDA5+ ailment in the COVID-19 era,” dubbed “MDA5-autoimmunity and Interstitial Pneumonitis Contemporaneous with COVID-19” (MIP-C), as reported by iflscience.com.
To decipher the underlying mechanisms of this newly recognized symptomatology, investigators employed data analysis tools aimed at identifying shared traits among medical cohorts. Through this approach, they unearthed a correlation between patients with MDA5 autoimmunity and elevated levels of an inflammatory cytokine named interleukin-15 (IL-15).
Discussing this revelation, study co-author Pradipta Ghosh elucidated that IL-15 “has the potential to drive cells to a state of depletion, leading to an immunological profile frequently associated with progressive interstitial lung disease or pulmonary fibrosis.”
In total, only eight out of the 60 patients had previously tested positive for COVID-19, implying that numerous cases may have stemmed from asymptomatic infections that went undetected. This suggested that even mild infections devoid of initial symptoms might suffice to trigger MDA5 autoimmunity, as per iflscience.com.
“As the peak of MDA5 positivity testing followed the apex of COVID-19 cases in 2021, coinciding with the zenith of vaccination, these findings propose an immune response or autoimmunity against MDA5 following exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and/or vaccination,” concluded the researchers.
According to Ghosh, this phenomenon is unlikely to be confined to Yorkshire, with reports of MIP-C emerging from various corners of the globe.
The study has been documented in the journal biomedicine.