COVID Vaccine's Chronic Side Effects: Scientists Uncover Potential Clues

While the majority of people don't experience adverse health effects from the COVID vaccine, a small percentage unfortunately do, suffering chronic symptoms that can linger for months or even years. Yale researchers have recently shed some light on why this might be happening, coining the term "post-vaccination syndrome" (PVS) for the condition.

The team's preliminary findings have identified "potential immunological patterns" unique to those with PVS. The big hope is that this discovery will pave the way for future treatments and therapies tailored to those affected.

"This work is still in its early stages, and we need to validate these findings," said Akiko Iwasaki, Sterling Professor of Immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine. "But this is giving us some hope that there may be something that we can use for diagnosis and treatment of PVS down the road."

Those with PVS might experience excessive fatigue, exercise intolerance, brain fog, insomnia, and dizziness, according to the Yale team. These symptoms usually pop up within a day or two of vaccination and can, annoyingly, worsen over time.

"It’s clear that some individuals are experiencing significant challenges after vaccination. Our responsibility as scientists and clinicians is to listen to their experiences, rigorously investigate the underlying causes, and seek ways to help," said Harlan Krumholz, professor of cardiology at YSM.

Dr. Marc Siegel of NYU Langone Health emphasized that "Post-vaccination syndrome is real, and has been found [to occur] from many vaccines, including COVID."

In their analysis, the researchers looked at blood samples from 42 participants with PVS symptoms and 22 without. They found that those with symptoms had lower levels of two types of white blood cells. Additionally, PVS sufferers who hadn't contracted COVID had fewer antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, likely because they had fewer vaccine doses.

"Fewer vaccine doses and no viral infection means the body’s immune system has had little opportunity to develop a defense to the virus," the researchers explained.

Some PVS patients also showed higher levels of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which helps the virus invade and infect host cells. Elevated levels of this protein have also been linked to a higher risk of developing long COVID. Seriously? Is there anything that spike protein *doesn't* do?

"We don’t know if the level of spike protein is causing the chronic symptoms, because there were other participants with PVS who didn’t have any measurable spike protein — but it could be one mechanism underlying this syndrome," Iwasaki clarified.

Other potential risk factors for post-vaccination syndrome include autoimmunity, tissue damage, and reactivation of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), according to the researchers.

Siegel noted that Iwasaki is a "world-renowned immunologist at Yale who has studied COVID (and COVID vaccines) extensively." He confirmed that her study found "the presence of persistent spike protein" in a small percentage of those who experienced prolonged side effects from COVID vaccines.

The researchers all agree that more studies are absolutely crucial for guiding diagnosis and treatment.

"We’re only just starting to make headway in understanding PVS," Krumholz stated. "Every medical intervention carries some risk, and it’s important to acknowledge that adverse events can occur with vaccines."

Krumholz added, "Our focus must remain on understanding what these people are experiencing through rigorous science and addressing the needs of those affected with compassion and an open mind."

Siegel echoed this, saying, "This needs to be further studied in terms of understanding how common prolonged COVID vaccine side effects are and how to predict them and treat them."