A review of long-term neurological side sequalae Associated of COVID‑19 vaccinated subjects

الملخص

The neurological sequelae of COVID-19 vaccination have been the subject of investigations, due to cases of prolonged neurological symptoms in a fraction of vaccinated individuals. Although COVID-19 vaccines are highly efficacious in preventing severe disease and death, rare cases of adverse events including neurological symptoms have been reported. Objective: This review seeks to summarize existing evidence of potential chronic neurologic effects that vaccination could bring about such as chronic headaches, neuropathies, cognitive dysfunction or in rare cases autoimmune-mediated conditions such as Guillain–Barré syndrome or transverse myelitis. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these sequences of events are incompletely understood but may involve immune-mediated, molecular mimicry, or genetic and environmental susceptibility factors. A major methodologic challenge is to distinguish the temporal associations of vaccine-related effects versus background conditions unrelated to vaccination or neuro-complications from a prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Recent findings Current data are limited owing to the rarity of these events, reliance on self-reported symptoms, and lack of long-term, population-based cohort studies. These potential sequelae warrant routine surveillance and external validation through rigorous epidemiological studies and mechanism-based research to more specifically characterize their incidence, risk factor associations and short and longer-term prognosis. These efforts are critical for public health planning and implementation, mitigation of vaccine adverse events and communication to reduce vaccine hesitance by allowing clear communication of the risks and benefits of vaccines.