VACOVEAS study

About this study

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world during the past year.   The COVID-19 vaccines can decrease the risk of the infection and bring the pandemic to an end. However, it is unclear whether the group of people with AD develop more side effects against vaccination than the general population and how they manage their usual medication during vaccination. We also don't know if vaccination itself can trigger a new AD flare. Our goal is to collect this information to understand how vaccination works in patients with AD.

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How does this study work?

The study includes a single survey that will ask about your medical history and the medications you take to treat your AD. Although we will ask you to provide information about dates and place of origin, we will NOT collect other identifiable information such as names, emails or IP addresses. We'll ask if you've been diagnosed with COVID-19. If so, we will ask you for more information on how you recovered from the disease. Finally, we will ask you about the vaccination you have received, and the side effects you have had after your administration, if any.

Why should I join this study?

The SarS-CoV-2 vaccine clinical trials have not included patients with AD. Therefore, we do not have data on the safety and efficacy of vaccines in this population group. In fact, some studies conducted through questionnaires distributed by social media have shown that fear of serious adverse reactions or a possible flare of AD related to vaccination are the most important  causes of patients' reluctance  to  receive vaccination. 

Most scientific societies recommend   COVID-19 vaccination in AD patients by taking into account that they are considered a risk group and by extrapolating safety data described in other types of vaccines, such as influenza or pneumococcus.

Therefore, it is very important to obtain real-life data on the safety of these vaccines in these patients. The VACOVEAS study aims to gain knowledge in this field.

Who can participate?

Adults ages 18 and over with an AD   are suitable to enroll. It may also be performed by a parent of a minor patient with AD. Our survey is open to adults from any country in the world.

Who is running the study?

The study is developed by two researchers from the Department of Autoimmune Diseases in the Hospital Clínic  of Barcelona  (Dr. Olga Araújo and Dr. Gerard Espinosa),who have devised the survey to better understand the patient experience during this pandemic. The study has been approved by the Committee on Ethics and Research of Medicines of the Hospital Clínic in Barcelona (HCB/2021/0432).

The study is free of financial compensation so it is guaranteed that the results of the research will be valid and complete, without compressing omisos with third parties that could undermine the final analysis.

If I join this study, what will I be asked to do?

You will be asked questions about your AD and if you have been diagnosed with a COVID-19 infection. If so, we'll ask you more questions about how the diagnosis was  made. We will also ask you questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, and the side effects that the vaccine may have produced.

How much time will I have to spend on this study?

The survey takes 10 minutes to complete.

May I withdraw from the study?

You may decide to stop participating in this study at any time.

Will there be any risk to my privacy?

We will not collect any personal information as part of this study (such as names, email addresses, IP addresses, etc.). Researchers who conduct this study will never know your identity. By completing this survey, you identify yourself as a patient with  an  AD  (or a child with an  AD). If you choose to share with others who participated in this study, you will share the fact that you or your child has an autoimmune disease.

Will my data ever be sold to third parties?

Your data will never be sold to anyone, ever. The data will only be used by our group of researchers, to understand the effect of vaccination to improve the care of adults with AD during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If I have already participated in a similar study, can I participate in it?

Yes, indeed. During these weeks, several surveys are circulating to gather similar information. But each researcher has a different goal, so even if you've answered another similar survey, you can answer this one, and it'll only take you 10 minutes to do so.

Thank you very much for your participation.