To the Editor:

We would like to share our ideas on the article, “When Should I Get My Next COVID-19 Vaccine? Data From the Surveillance of Responses to COVID-19 Vaccines in Systemic Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases (SUCCEED) Study.”1 In this investigation, data and dried blood spots/sera were obtained from adults with a range of inflammatory diseases following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination. The authors examined the serologic response, concentrating on the measurement of antinucleocapsid (anti-N) IgG levels and log-transformed anti–receptor-binding domain (anti-RBD) IgG titers. Anti-RBD titers were found to have positive correlations with female sex, number of vaccination doses received, and self-reported COVID-19 infections; however, negative correlations were observed with specific drugs. The majority of cases of anti-N positivity were linked to recent self-reported illnesses, and these rates rose after the Omicron era.

The study by Bowdish et al1 has several methodological shortcomings. First is the study’s dependence on self-reported data, which could add bias and mistakes. Second, the study did not state which particular vaccines were given to individuals, and this could have had an effect on the results of the serologic response. Third, the study’s scope of inflammatory diseases was restricted, which might limit how broadly the results can be applied. Finally, the study did not specify the precise pharmaceutical amounts (dosage and frequency) that the subjects took, which may have had an effect on the findings.

Future studies may look into how various vaccine types affect a person’s serologic response when they have an inflammatory ailment. Further, carrying out an investigation with a bigger, more varied sample size would yield more reliable insights into this population’s postvaccination serological response. It could also be interesting to study the causes of the unfavorable relationships that some drugs have with anti-RBD titers. Further research on the immune response and durability of protection following COVID-19 immunization in people with inflammatory diseases may also be helpful in developing public health initiatives.