Anti-spike Antibody Responses to SARS-CoV-2 MRNA Vaccines in People with Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder

Overview

Journal Brain Behav Immun Health

Date 2024 Jul 18

PMID 39021438

Authors

Katlyn Nemani

Livia De Picker

Faith Dickerson

Marion Leboyer

Michele Santacatterina

Fumika Ando

Gillian Capichioni

Thomas E Smith

Jamie Kammer

Kawtar El Abdellati

Manuel Morrens

Violette Coppens

Emily Katsafanas

Andrea Origoni

Sabahat Khan

Kelly Rowe

R Sarah Ziemann

Ryad Tamouza

Robert H Yolken

Donald C Goff

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Importance: Individuals with schizophrenia are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness and severe breakthrough infection following vaccination. It is unclear whether immune response to vaccination differs in this population.

Objective: To assess whether anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody titers after vaccination differ in people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (SZ) compared to controls without a psychiatric disorder.

Design: This cohort study assessed antibody response following the first and second dose of mRNA vaccines at longitudinal timepoints, up to 7 weeks following the first dose of vaccine.

Setting: A multi-center study including psychiatric healthcare settings in the United States and Europe.

Participants: 205 adults with no history of COVID-19 infection, including 106 individuals with SZ and 99 controls without a psychiatric disorder, who received their first dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine between December 20, 2020 and May 27, 2021.

Main Outcomes And Measures: Mean SARS-CoV-2 anti-Spike IgG antibody levels within 7 weeks after the first dose of vaccination.

Results: A total of 205 individuals (mean [SD] age, 44.7 [12.0] years; 90 [43.9%] male) were included, of which 106 (51.7%) were diagnosed with SZ. SZ was associated with lower mean log antibody levels (-0.15; 95% CI, -0.27 to -0.03, = 0.016) after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, days since vaccination, and vaccine manufacturer. In secondary analyses of dose-specific responses, SZ was associated with a lower mean log antibody level after the second dose of vaccine (-0.23; 95% CI -0.39 to -0.06, = 0.006), but not the first dose of vaccine (0.00; 95% CI -0.18- 0.19, = 0.96).

Conclusions And Relevance: In this cohort study of individuals with SZ and a control group without psychiatric disorders, SZ was associated with lower SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike antibody levels following 2 doses of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination. This highlights the need for further studies assessing vaccine immunogenicity in individuals with schizophrenia.

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