VACCINATING children with mRNA COVID vaccines may help protect them against developing long COVID, according to US research published today in JAMA Network Open.
The study of around 600 children aged 5-17 years found that vaccination was associated with a 57% decreased chance of developing one or more long COVID symptoms, and 73% decreased likelihood of developing two or more long COVID symptoms.
The children were enrolled in a multisite longitudinal paediatric cohort from Jul 2021 to Sep 2022, and followed up through May 2023.
The vaccination status of those who developed long COVID was compared with those who did not.
The authors said the findings suggest benefits of COVID vaccination beyond protection against acute COVID infection and may lead to greater uptake in kids.
Estimates as to how many children are affected by long COVID range from 1% to 20%.
Although children typically experience mild symptoms from COVID infection, long COVID can develop following mild or severe illness, and symptoms can be prolonged and debilitating.
MEANWHILE, Yale University research looking at so-called post vaccination syndrome (PVS) has uncovered potential immunological patterns that differentiate those with PVS from others.
PVS is when chronic symptoms develop soon after receiving a COVID vaccine, and remains unrecognised by medical authorities, with little known about its biological underpinnings.
Some of the most common chronic symptoms of PVS include exercise intolerance, fatigue, brain fog, insomnia and dizziness.
When comparing the blood samples between those reporting PVS and others, the team found several key differences in the levels of two types of white blood cell.
They also found higher levels of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein - the part of the virus that enables it to penetrate and infect host cells and what COVID-19 vaccines use to trigger immune responses against the virus.
Persistent spike protein has also been associated with long COVID.
"That was surprising, to find spike protein in circulation at such a late time point," said immunology professor Akiko Iwasaki from the Yale School of Medicine.
"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," he continued.
"But it could be one mechanism underlying this syndrome."
The authors stressed that findings are early - the publication was a preprint - and require further confirmation, but they may eventually guide strategies to help affected individuals. KB
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