A new study has claimed that the COVID-19 vaccine may have led to a condition referred to as “post-vaccination syndrome” (PVS) in some people. Little is known about the condition and its biological underpinnings but the study, published by Yale University highlighted that those suffering from it exhibited symptoms such as exercise intolerance, excessive fatigue, numbness, brain fog, insomnia, palpitations, tinnitus, dizziness, muscle pain, and even changes to immune systems. These symptoms develop within a day or two after vaccination and can become more severe in the days that follow and persist over time.

Ever since the pandemic, thousands of people across the globe have claimed that COVID-19 vaccines caused long-term harm to them despite saving millions. However, little research has been done to analyse the long-term impact, particularly PVS, something which lead researcher, Dr Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University, wants to change.

“People with PVS have felt dismissed and ignored because PVS is not a medically recognised condition,” said De Iwasaki.

“I believe that rigorous scientific research will lead to better diagnosis, treatment and prevention of PVS. Such research will also lead to better transparency and safer vaccines.”

Research methodology

Data for the study came from Yale’s Listen to Immune, Symptom, and Treatment Experiences Now (LISTEN) Study and included 42 participants who reported symptoms of PVS while 22 individuals did not report any related PVS symptoms.

When they analysed components of the immune system, those with PVS had different proportions of some immune cells, compared with controls. Like people with long Covid, those with PVS showed reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus, a virus that may lie dormant in the body and is linked to mononucleosis, multiple sclerosis and other conditions.

The researchers said although more studies are needed to understand the prevalence of PVS, their work may have laid the foundation.

“This work is still in its early stages, and we need to validate these findings.cBut this is giving us some hope that there may be something that we can use for diagnosis and treatment of PVS down the road.”

They added that a deeper understanding of PVS and its drivers could lead to better vaccines that have fewer side effects, effective methods for diagnosing the syndrome, and targets for treatment.