Vaccination May Mitigate Long-Term Health Issues Post-COVID
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Understanding Long-COVID
Many people are aware of long-COVID, a condition where individuals who have survived COVID-19 endure lingering symptoms—often including fatigue, breathlessness, and cognitive difficulties—for extended periods. However, few recognize that long-COVID also comprises various subtypes. One significant subtype is known as medical or clinical sequelae (MCS), which denotes an increased likelihood of developing new chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular and neurological conditions. This is especially concerning given the extensive number of individuals affected by COVID-19.
MCS: A Deeper Look
In a review published in Reviews in Medical Virology, I delved into the extensive literature surrounding long-COVID, categorizing this complex condition into six distinct subtypes:
- Non-severe COVID-19 multi-organ sequelae (NSC-MOS)
- Pulmonary fibrosis sequelae (PFS)
- Myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)
- Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)
- Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS)
- Medical or clinical sequelae (MCS)
Focusing on the MCS subtype, large cohort studies have shown that COVID-19 survivors face a heightened risk of developing new medical conditions compared to individuals who did not contract the virus. The underlying cause appears to be the potential damage COVID-19 inflicts on various organ systems, exacerbating pre-existing health vulnerabilities. Some researchers refer to MCS as the “unmasking of underlying comorbidities.”
For instance, a study in England involving 47,480 hospitalized COVID-19 survivors and 47,780 matched controls revealed that the risks of new-onset respiratory diseases, cardiovascular ailments, chronic liver issues, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes were significantly elevated—27 times, 5.4 times, 4.4 times, 2 times, and 1.5 times higher, respectively, in the COVID-19 cohort after 140 days.
Furthermore, during this period, 29.4% of the COVID-19 group required readmission to the hospital, and 12.3% died, reflecting respective risk increases of 3.5 times and 7.7 times when compared to controls (where only 9.2% were readmitted and 1.7% died).
This trend has been corroborated in other large cohort studies, which I've previously discussed in two articles on Medium and in my research review. To summarize, COVID-19 survivors demonstrate increased risks for various diseases, including:
- Cardiovascular diseases: heart attacks, myocarditis, deep vein thrombosis, and strokes.
- Respiratory diseases: acute/chronic respiratory failure, interstitial lung diseases, and pulmonary thrombosis.
- Neurological disorders: peripheral neuropathy and dementia.
- Mental health issues: anxiety and depression.
- Others: chronic liver and kidney diseases, diabetes, and obesity.
Consequently, individuals with MCS are often prescribed a variety of new medications, such as anticoagulants, antiarrhythmics, bronchodilators, and antidepressants.
The Role of Vaccines in Preventing MCS
Recent research titled "The Protective Effect of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination on Postacute Sequelae of COVID-19: A Multicenter Study From a Large National Health Research Network," led by Zisis et al. from Case Western Reserve University, highlights the potential for vaccines to mitigate MCS. Utilizing the TriNetX database, which contains data on adults aged 18 and older with prior SARS-CoV-2 infections, the study compared 25,225 vaccinated individuals who experienced breakthrough infections to 25,225 unvaccinated individuals with similar demographics and health conditions.
At a 90-day follow-up, vaccinated individuals exhibited significant reductions in the onset of mental disorders, hypertension, heart diseases, thrombosis, and other chronic illnesses compared to their unvaccinated counterparts. Specifically, the absolute risk reductions were noted as follows:
- Mental disorders: 19.1%
- Hypertension: 13.2%
- Heart diseases: 13.1%
- Thrombosis: 9.2%
- Diabetes: 7.8%
- And more...
The findings from Zisis et al. emphasized that vaccination is associated with a decreased risk of new-onset diseases and symptoms related to long-COVID, suggesting a faster and more effective recovery from COVID-19.
However, it's important to note that this study has limitations, such as focusing solely on breakthrough infections and not accounting for vaccine type. Despite these limitations, the quantification of risk reductions in absolute terms provides meaningful insights into the effectiveness of vaccines.
A meta-analysis of 18 studies also revealed that individuals who received vaccinations, particularly mRNA vaccines, experienced a 29% reduction in relative risk for long-COVID symptoms compared to unvaccinated individuals.
This meta-analysis further indicated that vaccination was effective in preventing long-COVID regardless of whether it occurred before or after vaccination, underscoring the vaccines' role in mitigating the long-term health impacts of COVID-19.
In conclusion, the study by Zisis et al. is significant as it identifies an additional benefit of COVID-19 vaccinations—namely, the reduction of risks for new chronic diseases and long-COVID symptoms, which should be considered when evaluating the overall risk-benefit ratio of COVID-19 vaccines.
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