Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of Nature Communications, 15(1), 6085. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49634-x Dr. Samantha Ip et al.
Points
- A study of 45.7 million adults in England examined the impact of COVID-19 vaccines on cardiovascular diseases from December 2020 to January 2022.
- The incidence of common arterial thrombotic events, such as acute myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke, decreased across all vaccine doses.
- Venous thrombotic events, including pulmonary embolism and lower limb deep venous thrombosis, also showed a decreased incidence post-vaccination.
- There was an increased incidence of specific rare adverse effects, including vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia with the ChAdOx1 vaccine and myocarditis and pericarditis with mRNA vaccines (BNT-162b2 and mRNA-1273).
- The study supports the continued use of COVID-19 vaccines to reduce significant cardiovascular risks while emphasizing the need to monitor rare adverse effects to ensure vaccine safety and efficacy.
Summary
A comprehensive study utilizing longitudinal health records of 45.7 million adults in England from December 2020 to January 2022 investigated the impact of COVID-19 vaccines on cardiovascular diseases, focusing on the effects after first, second, and booster doses. The research aimed to analyze the incidence of thrombotic and cardiovascular complications within 26 weeks after administering various brands and combinations of COVID-19 vaccines compared to the incidence before or without vaccination. The findings indicated a general decrease in common arterial thrombotic events, such as acute myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke, across all vaccine doses.
Venous thrombotic events, including pulmonary embolism and lower limb deep venous thrombosis, also showed a decreased incidence post-vaccination. However, the study noted an increased incidence of specific rare adverse effects. Notably, there was an observed increase in vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia following the first dose of the ChAdOx1 vaccine. Additionally, cases of myocarditis and pericarditis were more frequent after the first and second doses and transiently after the booster, particularly with mRNA vaccines such as BNT-162b2 and mRNA-1273.
These results underscore the overall benefit of COVID-19 vaccinations in reducing the risk of significant cardiovascular events while highlighting the occurrence of rare but notable complications. The data support the continued widespread uptake of COVID-19 vaccines within public health programs, balancing the substantial protective benefits against cardiovascular diseases with the careful monitoring of rare adverse effects. This balance is crucial for optimizing vaccine safety and efficacy in ongoing and future vaccination efforts.
Link to the article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-49634-x
References Ip, S., North, T.-L., Torabi, F., Li, Y., Abbasizanjani, H., Akbari, A., Horne, E., Denholm, R., Keene, S., Denaxas, S., Banerjee, A., Khunti, K., Sudlow, C., Whiteley, W. N., Sterne, J. A. C., Wood, A. M., & Walker, V. (2024). Cohort study of cardiovascular safety of different COVID-19 vaccination doses among 46 million adults in England. Nature Communications, 15(1), 6085. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49634-x
