According to the latest reports, it seems that a rare autoimmune disease which surged between 2020 and 2022, peaking in 2021, in Yorkshire, England is related to Covid-19 and its vaccines. Here are the latest reports about this below.
Autoimmune disease linked to Covid-19 and vaccines
The disease, anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis, is an inflammatory condition characterized by muscle weakness, skin rashes, and rapidly progressive lung disease. It is very rare.
In 2019, two people in Yorkshire, with a population of 3.6 million, tested positive for the disease. In 2020, the number of positive cases increased to nine.
The highest number of new cases, 35, was reported in 2021, followed by a decrease to 16 new cases in 2022.
The recent increase in autoimmune cases may be linked to interactions between the COVID-19 virus and vaccine RNA, according to Dr. Dennis McGonagle, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Leeds and the senior author of the study, as reported by The Epoch Times.
In addition to the Lancet study, several case studies have documented new cases of anti-MDA5 following COVID-19 infection or vaccination.
Anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis is an autoimmune condition in which the body’s immune system attacks itself. It can often appear without a clear cause.
Dermatomyositis typically affects the skin, muscles, and lungs. Anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis is associated with rapidly progressive lung disease, which gives the condition a poor prognosis.
MDA5 is a protein found outside of muscles and tissues, with a high concentration in the lungs. When the body produces anti-MDA5 antibodies to target MDA5, it can lead to the deterioration of related organs and tissues. MDA5 can recognize and attach to foreign RNA, such as COVID-19 RNA. Upon detection, it triggers other immune cells to combat the foreign invader or respond to vaccination.
“We think that … [this happens] because MDA5 is the receptor or docking site for viral RNA, and that this in some way triggers the antibody against it,” Dr. McGonagle said.
In a COVID-19 infection, binding of MDA5 to RNA can lead to excessive MDA5 activity, according to Dr. Pradipta Ghosh, director of the Institute for Network Medicine at the University of California–San Diego and another corresponding author of the study.
