VAERS-reported new-onset seizures following use of COVID-19 vaccinations as compared to influenza vaccinations

Abstract

The incidence of new-onset seizures, which we defined as de novo seizures occurring within 4 weeks of receiving any of the US Food and Drug Administration-approved COVID-19 vaccinations as reported in patient-reported data compiled in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System Data (CDC VAERS), has not been explored. The VAERS database contains de-identified patient-reported adverse events following vaccination and represents post-marketing surveillance and analysis of vaccine safety. After adjusting for time at risk, this resulted in estimated incidence rates of 3.19 seizures per 100 000 persons per year for the COVID-19 vaccine and 0.090 seizures per 100 000 persons per year for the influenza vaccines. A data-driven, individualized dataset that is comprehensive and coupled with a longitudinal follow-up in larger numbers of vaccinated individuals is needed to expand on our preliminary findings of vaccine-related seizures.

Keywords: COVID-19; Johnson and Johnson vaccine; Moderna vaccine; Pfizer vaccine; VAERS data; influenza vaccine; seizures.

© 2022 British Pharmacological Society.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest with any of the products listed in the study.

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