All patients hospitalized with new or relapsing neurologic events after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination at a New York tertiary hospital had one or more risk factors for their neurologic condition, a prospective study showed.
The most prominent neurologic index events in these vaccinated patients were ischemic stroke (37.7%), encephalopathy (32.6%), seizure (15.9%), and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH; 9.4%), according to Kiran Thakur, MD, of Columbia University Irving Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, and co-authors.
Of 3,830 individuals screened from December 2020 through June 2021 for COVID-19 vaccination status and neurologic conditions, 138 had a neurologic differential diagnosis and a COVID vaccine within 6 weeks of hospitalization, including 126 who received an mRNA vaccine. All 138 cases had at least one risk factor or evidence of a known potential cause of their neurologic event, Thakur and colleagues reported in Neurology: Clinical Practiceopens in a new tab or window.
Metabolic derangement was the most common etiology for vaccinated patients with seizures (53.3%) and encephalopathy (22.7%). Hypertension was the most significant risk factor for those with ischemic stroke (86.5%) and ICH (30.8%).
“We were unable to determine a causal association between the new diagnosed neurologic condition and mRNA or adenovirus COVID-19 vaccination at our site,” the researchers stated.
“Our comprehensive clinical review of these cases supports the safety of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines,” they added.
Researchers and government agencies have warned of rare cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosisopens in a new tab or window (CVST) and Guillain-Barré syndromeopens in a new tab or window (GBS) among people who received Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 adenovirus vector vaccine. Otherwise, U.S. vaccine safety surveillance systems have not detected unexpected safety concernsopens in a new tab or window for clinically serious neurologic conditions after COVID-19 vaccinations, Thakur and colleagues noted.
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