Medical outcomes of children with neurodevelopmental disorders after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination: A six-month follow-up study

• Published in: Vaccine Vol. 41; no. 29; pp. 4267 - 4273
• Main Authors: Wang, Liang-Jen, Tsai, Ching-Shu, Chou, Wen-Jiun, Li, Chia-Jung, Lee, Sheng-Yu, Chen, Yi-Chun, Lin, I-Chun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 29.06.2023; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adolescent; Allergy and Immunology; Aripiprazole; Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder; BNT162 Vaccine; Cardiology; Child; Child & adolescent psychiatry; Children; Children & youth; COVID-19; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 vaccines; COVID-19 Vaccines - adverse effects; Developmental disabilities; Disorders; drug therapy; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Emergency medical care; Emergency medical services; Follow-Up Studies; Gastroenterology; Hazard identification; Humans; Hyperactivity; Immunization; Immunology; Intellectual disabilities; Intellectual Disability; Language disorders; Longitudinal Studies; Metabolic disorders; Methylphenidate; mRNA; Myocarditis; Neurodevelopmental disorder; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Neurodevelopmental Disorders - chemically induced; Neurodevelopmental Disorders - epidemiology; Neurology; Parents & parenting; Pediatrics; Regression analysis; Regression models; Rheumatology; risk; Safety; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Survival analysis; Systemic diseases; Teenagers; vaccination; Vaccination - adverse effects; Vaccine; vaccines; New York; United States > US; Taiwan; SARS-CoV-2; Vaccine; Children; Neurodevelopmental disorder; Safety
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.05.067

•Vaccine-associated myocarditis, fever, fatigue, headache, and muscle aches are potential adverse effects (AEs) of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.•Vulnerability of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (ND) to AEs of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine were investigated.•This is the first longitudinal study to investigate the adverse outcomes of children with ND after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination within 180 days.•No specific ND diagnosis or medication use clearly increased the risk of AEs associated with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. The BNT162b2 (Pfizer–BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccines have been approved for children and adolescents for protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infection. This longitudinal study aimed to compare adverse outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in children with neurodevelopmental disorders (ND) (e.g., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], autism spectrum disorder [ASD], communication disorders, intellectual disability, and tic disorders) and healthy control children. A total of 1335 children who received the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (762 children with ND and 573 healthy controls) were recruited. All subjects were followed-up for 180 days, and outcome events were defined as outpatient department (OPD) or emergency department (ER) visits during follow-up. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to identify the potential differences in outcomes between the propensity score-matched ND group (n = 311) and the control group (n = 311), and to explore the factors associated with outcomes among all children with ND (n = 762). Compared with the control group, children with ND exhibited a higher likelihood of subsequent OPD or ER visits and paediatric neurology OPD visits after the first dose of vaccination. However, we found that only a small proportion of the children visited the OPD or ER because of adverse vaccination-related effects. Among all children with ND, those with communication disorders showed a higher likelihood of any OPD or ER visit. Paediatric neurology OPD visits were associated with communication disorders, intellectual disability, and methylphenidate and aripiprazole prescriptions. ADHD and ASD were not associated with adverse outcomes. No specific ND diagnosis or medication use clearly increased the risk of adverse effects of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Children with ND can be reassured that the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is a safe regimen to protect themselves.