Safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination in the Chinese population with pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis: a single-center retrospective study

• Published in: Orphanet journal of rare diseases Vol. 19; no. 1; pp. 247 - 10
• Main Authors: Wang, Weilin, Zhou, Jingdong, Kong, Xuetao, Wang, Yixuan, Wu, Qixian, Gong, Xiaoqing, Tai, Jingye, Pan, Yingxin, Huang, Hongyuan, Zhao, Zhen, Jiang, Mei, Liu, Jie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 03.07.2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adult; Care and treatment; China - epidemiology; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 Vaccines - adverse effects; COVID-19 Vaccines - therapeutic use; Diagnosis; East Asian People; Female; Humans; Leiomyoma; Lymphangioleiomyomatosis; Lymphangioma; Male; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Middle Aged; mTOR inhibitors; Omicron variant; Retrospective Studies; Risk factors; SARS-CoV-2; Surveys; Vaccination; Vaccine; China; COVID-19; mTOR inhibitors; Omicron variant; Vaccine; Lymphangioleiomyomatosis
• ISSN: 1750-1172; 1750-1172
• DOI: 10.1186/s13023-024-03260-4

The safety and efficacy of vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is still unclear. This study investigates COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, vaccine safety and efficacy, and COVID-19 symptoms in LAM patients. In total, 181 LAM patients and 143 healthy individuals responded to the questionnaire. The vaccination rate of LAM patients was 77.34%, and 15.7% of vaccinated LAM patients experienced adverse events. Vaccination decreased the risk of LAM patients developing anorexia [OR: 0.17, 95% CI: (0.07, 0.43)], myalgia [OR: 0.34, 95% CI: (0.13, 0.84)], and ageusia [OR: 0.34, 95% CI: (0.14, 0.84)]. In LAM patients, a use of mTOR inhibitors reduced the risk of developing symptoms during COVID-19, including fatigue [OR: 0.18, 95% CI: (0.03, 0.95)], anorexia [OR: 0.30, 95% CI: (0.09, 0.96)], and ageusia [OR: 0.20, 95% CI: (0.06, 0.67)]. Vaccination rates in the LAM population were lower than those in the general population, as 22.7% (41/181) of LAM patients had hesitations regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. However, the safety of COVID-19 vaccination in the LAM cohort was comparable to the healthy population, and COVID-19 vaccination decreased the incidence of COVID-19 symptoms in LAM patients. In addition, mTOR inhibitors seem not to determine a greater risk of complications in patients with LAM during COVID-19.