Not only having already had Covid and being young makes the vaccine-induced immune response better, but also being female, non-smokers, and being single or cohabiting. These are some of the aspects that emerged from an all-Italian study, promoted by the Sapienza University and the Policlinico Umberto I in Rome, from which a correlation emerged between the immune response acquired after the vaccine and some demographic, clinical and social variables, including age, sex, previous illnesses, smoking habit and marital status. The results of the research, published in the ‘Journal of Personalized Medicine’, “pave the way – underline the authors – to customizable vaccination programs”.
The study – coordinated by Stefania Basili of the Department of Translational and Precision Medicine of Sapienza – was conducted on a sample of 2,065 health workers of the Policlinico Umberto I, who had received the Pfizer-BioNTech mRna vaccine and who underwent two blood samples, one month later and 5 months after the second vaccination. “Everyone – explains Basili – was given a questionnaire to collect personal information and a quantitative serological test was performed that was able to detect antibodies to protein S (Spike) of the Sars-CoV2 virus, the best tool for evaluating immunity acquired following vaccination or infection “.
The results showed that, one month after vaccination, subjects with a previous Covid-19 infection and younger ones have higher antibody levels than others. In contrast, autoimmune diseases, chronic lung diseases, and smoking are related to lower levels of antibody responses. A median decrease of 72% in the antibody level was observed 5 months after vaccination, but this is less evident in women and in subjects with previous infection. On the other hand, in smokers, hypertensive people and the less young, a dramatic drop of about 82% in anti-Spike antibody levels was found. In addition, a greater maintenance of the antibody response in single or cohabiting subjects compared to married, divorced or widowed subjects was found, although this association could be due to other unexplored clinical variables, such as dietary style and body mass index.
“The study – comments the director of Sapienza Antonella Polimeni, one of the authors of the research – highlights how the pursuit of health, even in the face of pandemic situations, underlies a more general principle of social well-being. The factors linked to the styles of life, in fact, play an important role in the immune response. The first cure is therefore to raise the health culture and quality of life standards “.
“The results of this work, which once again underline the importance of lifestyles – declares Fabrizio d’Alba, general manager of the Policlinico Umberto I – always make us confident of the validity of the path taken by Sapienza and Umberto I. A path common with a view to synergistic exchange that will make our scientific community stronger “. “The study – explains Domenico Alvaro, dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry – is a demonstration of how the company and the university are in absolute harmony also in research, and in particular in sectors so relevant to public health. Furthermore, the wide participation of the healthcare personnel demonstrate a sense of responsibility to achieve results which, also in relation to Covid-19, represent a further stimulus to pursue healthy lifestyles “.
“Although our study confirmed many already known correlations, it also took into consideration for the first time – remarks Basili – many factors including the level of education, the type of work, marital status and the burden of family involvement. Beyond the results, the hope is that our analysis will encourage further research to investigate the effects of variables related to gender and lifestyle on the immune response, bringing out a personalized and precision medicine “.