Catching Covid itself has higher risk of causing neurological complications than the jabs, study claims
- Researchers examined data from 35million patients in England and Scotland
- People who got Covid had a 4x higher risk of a complication than the vaccinated
- Connection with Pfizer and bleeding also found, but experts have urged caution
Catching Covid is more likely to cause a rare neurological complication than having any vaccine, according to a study.
Scientists found 38 people out of every 10million given AstraZeneca’s jab developed Guillain–Barré syndrome, which can cause paralysis and leave patients in agony.
But people were nearly four times more likely to develop GBS from getting infected, with the complication occurring in 145 per 10million cases.
No risk of the developing the condition was found among recipients of Pfizer’s jab.
Guillain–Barré syndrome is generally caused by a viral infection, though it has been linked to vaccinations as well. AstraZeneca already lists GBS as a potential, but very rare, side effect.
The disorder, caused by the immune system going into overdrive and the body attacking its own nerves, is rare. Figures suggest it affects about one in 100,000 per year in the UK and US.
Common symptoms of the rare condition include weakness and tingling in the limbs.
As patients’ conditions worsen, this can lead to parts of the body — or in some cases the whole body — being paralysed.
Researchers have found while there was a risk of developing Guillain–Barré syndrome, a neurological condition causing numbness, weakness and pain in the extremities, people were four time likelier to get the condition if they caught Covid itself.
Oxford University researchers who uncovered the link also reported an increased risk of haemorrhagic stroke, caused by a brain bleed, in people given Pfizer’s vaccine (60 extra cases per 10 million people).
Publishing their findings in Nature, the researchers drew their conclusions from data from 32million patients in England and 3million in Scotland.
The increased risk of stroke in Pfizer vaccine recipients was not seen in the Scottish data, prompting the authors to say further trials were needed.
Independent experts have also urged caution on this part of study, saying it has not been replicated in other data sets and there may be problems in the methodology.
The researchers are from the same university which developed the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, though different scientists were involved.
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) occurs when the body’s immune system attacks its nervous system.
It affects around one in 100,000 people in the UK and US.
Symptoms usually start with a tingling sensation in the leg, which may spread to the arms and upper body.
In severe cases, the person can become paralysed.
The condition can be life-threatening if it affects a person’s breathing, blood pressure or heart rate.
GBS’ cause is unknown, but it usually occurs after a viral infection. The NHS states campylobacter infections have been known to trigger GBS.
There is no cure.
Treatment focuses on restoring the nervous system.
Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Study co-author Professor Julia Hippisley-Cox said the research would help medics diagnose and treat the rare incidence of Covid vaccine complications.
‘Whilst there are some increased risks of very rare neurological complications associated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, these are much smaller than the risks associated with Covid infection itself,’ she said.
‘However, these very rare conditions are very important to spot to ensure that clinicians know what to look for, aid earlier diagnosis, and inform clinical decision-making and resource management.’
Experts welcomed the study but said the link between Pfizer and hemorrhagic stroke should be treated with caution.
Professor Penny Ward, an expert in medicine at King’s College London, said even if the finding was correct, the risk of brain bleeding from catching Covid was still greater.
She concluded that the study was yet more evidence of the importance of getting a Covid vaccine.
‘From any perspective therefore, and particularly with the community spread of infection on the rise, unvaccinated adults should come forward for vaccination to reduce their own risk of serious central nervous system effects should they become infected,’ she said.
Imperial College London’s Professor Peter Openshaw, a Government adviser, agreed, and said the takeaway from the study was get your Covid vaccine.
‘[The risk of stroke] looks to me a very small signal and possibly not very significant,’ he said.
‘The neurological complications of vaccines are much rarer than of Covid, showing the vital importance of getting vaccinated.’
Cases of GBS have also been reported in the single dose Johnson & Johnson Covid jab, but this was not measured in this latest study.
The latest research echoes that regarding the risk of blood clots from vaccines from earlier this year.
That research, also from Oxford University, found the risk of clots among those who caught Covid was 12,614 per 10million people.
Whereas the risk among those given the Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccine was significantly lower at 66 per 10million.
Britain, like several other countries in Europe, currently does not give the AstraZeneca vaccine to people under 40 after it was linked to clotting disorders in the spring.
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