TY - JOUR T1 - Clinical outcomes of breakthrough COVID-19 after booster vaccination in patients with systemic rheumatic diseases JF - RMD Open JO - RMD Open DO - 10.1136/rmdopen-2022-002279 VL - 8 IS - 1 SP - e002279 AU - George E Fragoulis AU - Anastasios Karamanakos AU - Aikaterini Arida AU - Vasiliki-Kalliopi Bournia AU - Gerasimos Evangelatos AU - Antonis Fanouriakis AU - Kalliopi Fragiadaki AU - Evrydiki Kravvariti AU - Katerina Laskari AU - Stylianos Panopoulos AU - Nikolaos Papazoglou AU - Maria Pappa AU - Maria G Tektonidou AU - Petros P Sfikakis Y1 - 2022/03/01 UR - http://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/8/1/e002279.abstract N2 - Vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 are effective in patients with systemic rheumatic disease (SRD) without exhibiting significant safety issues or causing disease flares,1–3 whereas two doses of mRNA vaccines lead to significantly better outcomes of breakthrough (ie, despite vaccination) COVID-19 compared with unvaccinated patients.4 Since a third (booster) dose is deemed necessary for better immunisation,5 we aimed to examine hospitalisation rates and mortality of breakthrough COVID-19 in patients with SRD who had received three doses of the vaccine (booster-vaccinated), compared with those who received two doses (fully vaccinated) or were unvaccinated. We also comparatively assessed breakthrough COVID-19 outcomes in booster-vaccinated individuals with or without SRDs.We prospectively recorded date/type of vaccination, demographic, clinical and COVID-19-related features (date of infection, duration of self-reported symptomatology, hospitalisation, need for non-invasive ventilation and death), in consecutive SARS-CoV-2-infected patients followed up in our department from March 2020 (onset of pandemic) to February 2022. We also included as controls consecutive booster-vaccinated healthcare workers and patients’ friends/relatives without SRD. Only individuals in whom breakthrough COVID-19 occurred … ER -