Deciphering a Specific Signature of the Immunosenescence Induced in COVID-19+ Patients Versus Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients (SENO-COVID)

University Hospital Center (CHU)

Status

Completed

Conditions

SARS-Cov-2 Infection

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Treatments

Other: Blood sampling

Study type

Observational

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT04880720

RECHMPL20_0454

Details and patient eligibility

About

Immune aging or immunosenescence is characterized by a loss of T cell clonal diversity and a contraction of naïve T cells with proliferative capacity associated with the functional impairment of many others immune cells as well as a chronic low degree of inflammation. A restrictive T cell repertoire is likely more prone to antigen-mediated exhaustion observed during chronic viral infections. Notably, lymphopenia is the most consistent laboratory abnormality in COVID-19 infected patients and both lung-resident and circulating T cells potently up-regulate markers of T cell exhaustion. It is not clear today if the association of COVID-19 disease severity with age is mainly related with the immunosenescence of infected patients. Interestingly, T cell exhaustion and premature immunosenescence have also been observed in chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To better understand the immunological mechanisms involved in SARS-Cov-2 pathophysiology, the investigators propose to compare the immunosenescence patterns observed during RA, aging and SARS-Cov-2 infected patients in order to design improved therapeutic interventions.

Enrollment

43 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria for Active RA Patients:

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) meeting the 2010 ACR/EULAR diagnostic criteria
Patients in inflammatory flare of RA (DAS28 > 3.2)
Patients who have been off biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) or targeted synthetic antirheumatic drugs (tsDMARDs) for RA for at least 2 weeks (except for rituximab, where a delay of at least 12 months is required)
Conventional synthetic DMARDs (Methotrexate, Hydroxychloroquine, Leflunomide, Sulfasalazine) are allowed
Beneficiary of a social security system
Informed consent

Inclusion Criteria for Healthy Controls:

Absence of chronic diseases and current infection
Beneficiary of a social security system
Informed consent

Inclusion Criteria for COVID-19+ Patients:

Patients with ongoing SARS-Cov-2 infection (PCR+)
Patients hospitalized at D7-D14 of symptoms onset
Patients with two or more SARS-Cov-2 symptoms (including fever, cough, dyspnea, sore throat, chest pain, anosmia, diarrhea)
Membership in or beneficiary of a social security scheme
Collection of free and informed consent

Exclusion Criteria for All Groups:

Subjects under 18 years of age
HIV positive patients
Diabetic patients
Morbidly obese patients (BMI > 40kg/m2)
Use of senolytic drugs in the week prior to inclusion (azithromycin, metformin, cyclosporine, JAK inhibitors)
Use of steroids in doses greater than 10 mg/day in the week prior to inclusion
Subjects unable to give consent
Pregnant, breastfeeding, or non-menopausal women not taking effective contraception
Vulnerable subjects protected by law
Subjects under guardianship or curatorship