Rare Syndrome Linked to COVID Vaccine

Recent research points to a new side effect of the COVID-19 vaccination. A small study found that some people can develop a troubling condition called post-vaccination syndrome after getting the COVID shot.

The study, conducted by researchers from Yale School of Medicine, discovered that although the condition is exceptionally uncommon, it manifests with a variety of neurological symptoms. These symptoms include headaches, dizziness, and sensory disturbances, such as tinnitus, that can appear shortly after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

According to MedPage Today, the study participants who developed the syndrome were found to have lower levels of the immune cells CD4 T and higher levels of CD8 that secrete tumor necrosis factor (TNF) than healthy control groups. Patients with post-vaccination syndrome also had lower levels of antibodies that fight the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The researchers further found evidence that the Epstein-Barr virus was reactivated more frequently in people with post-vaccination syndrome.

The symptoms of post-vaccination syndrome seemed to overlap with those experienced by patients with long COVID, said the researchers, and the ongoing persistence of the spike protein of the coronavirus in both groups is also similar.

“I want to emphasize that this is still a work in progress,” said Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale School of Medicine who lead the research that was posted online but has not yet been published in a scientific journal, says The New York Times. “It’s not like this study determined what’s making people sick, but it’s the first kind of glimpse at what may be going on within these people.”

Thousands of people have claimed they became ill from the vaccines, but our healthcare system has been unable to pinpoint and clarify the range of symptoms people might have experienced from the COVID-19 shot.

Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, a world-renowned expert in autoimmune disorders who has been instrumental in identifying and treating patients with long COVID, says he is not surprised by the findings.

“Put into simple English, the study shows that long COVID can occur from the vaccine,” he tells Newsmax. “The documentation of immune changes, Epstein-Barr reactivation, and the symptoms are very similar to the usual long COVID cases that occur from the virus itself.”

The study also found high levels of the spike protein found in people with post-vaccination syndrome. In long COVID, persistence of the spike protein fools the immune system into thinking the infection is active, triggering the ongoing immune changes and exhaustion.

“This study is encouraging because it confirms and validates those who came down with long COVID from the vaccine, and adds further information to assist its treatment,” notes Teitelbaum.  

The researchers emphasize that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks, and they continue to advocate for widespread immunization to combat the pandemic. In the meantime, experts say that since this was a small study, more research and data are needed to reach a definitive conclusion.