Assessment of the Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous inflammatory disease of unknown cause that most commonly involves the lungs, but can also affect the skin, eyes, heart and other body systems. A significant proportion of patients with sarcoidosis require treatment with steroids and/or other immunosuppressive medications. Definitive data are lacking, but these medications may put individuals with sarcoidosis at higher risk of severe complications from COVID-19. Moreover, use of immunosuppressive medications may reduce the ability of sarcoidosis patients to respond to vaccines for the novel coronavirus and make antibodies at levels that would protect them from getting COVID-19. In this study, we will obtain blood from both healthy individuals and people with sarcoidosis, some taking and some not taking immunosuppressive medications, after they have completed vaccination for COVID-19. We will then measure blood levels of antibodies against the novel coronavirus to determine whether sarcoidosis itself or immunosuppressive medications used for treatment reduce the body’s ability to generate a protective response to vaccination against COVID-19.