The Covid vaccine is Safe e does not make symptoms worse in patients being treated for severe asthma. This is the positive result of the first Italian study, published in the international journal Vaccines and presented at the national congress of the Italian Society of Allergology, Asthma and Clinical Immunology (Siaaic). The work analyzed the safety and tolerability of the messenger RNA vaccination (Pfizer) its 253 patients with severe asthma treated with biological drugs. «Only patients with an ongoing relapse were excluded from vaccination. And those being treated with a high dose of oral steroids, ”explained Gianenrico Senna, co-author of the study and chairman of Siaaic. “All the others were followed up to record and evaluate any adverse events after vaccination.”
Severe asthma and vaccine: green light for the third dose
The percentages resulting from the study are reassuring. More than 80% of patients experienced no side effects after the vaccine, neither after the first nor after the second dose. And indeed, according to experts, too a possible third dose shouldn’t scare you the 200,000 Italians suffering from severe asthma. From the United States, among other things, the first data on the side effects of the third round of vaccination arrive, but everything seems in line with the previous ones (you can learn more in this article).
Small side effects
“After first dose only the 19% of patients complained of a collateral effect, which in 81% of cases it was common and of little account. Come pain widespread or linfoadenopatia (enlargement of one or more lymph nodes, ed) »Resumed Senna. “After second doseinstead, just the 17% had an adverse event and in 95% of cases it was little annoyances come pain on the arm, fever, muscle aches or headaches. There were no rare adverse events, such as severe allergic reactions or facial asymmetries. Nor has a pre-medication with antihistamines or paracetamol ever been recommended or reported ”.
The vaccine does not interfere with treatment
The detailed analysis of patients treated with a monoclonal antibody (biological drug) was likewise soothing. Superimposable to that on those who do not hire them. «The only precaution taken was to observe an interval of 48 hours between the administration of the biological drug and the dose of vaccine» specifies Andrea Vianello, professor of Respiratory System Diseases at the University of Padua and co-author of the study. “In no case a worsening of asthma. The pathology remained stable, if not even slightly improved ».
Severe asthma and Covid-19: the role of corticosteroids
As research conducted within the Severe Asthma Network Italy (one of the largest registries of asthma patients), le people with severe asthma are not at greater risk to contract the coronavirus. And especially, they do not experience more severe complications of other people.
On 1,504 patients, in fact, the cases of confirmed or highly suspected disease were 26. Equal to an incidence of 1.73%. The mortality rate was also quite low: 7.7% against 14.5% of the general Italian population. How can this data be explained? There are speculations about the role of asthma medications against the coronavirus. According to the authors of the research, there is the possibility that the use of corticosteroids inhalers can prevent or mitigate the development of coronavirus infection.