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← Return to POTS patients- vaccine or no vaccine?
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POTS patients- vaccine or no vaccine?
Heart Rhythm Conditions | Last Active: Sep 24, 2022 | Replies (25)Comment receiving replies
Hello! Thanks for the reply. No, I have no information, other than anecdotal, namely an acquaintance with POTS who took the vaxx and after the second shot, ended up in hospital with an autoimmune reaction that rendered him intubated. He is out now but feeling ver ill and wishing he had never taken the shot. Looking for any firm data on autoimmune reactions to the shot.
Replies to "Hello! Thanks for the reply. No, I have no information, other than anecdotal, namely an acquaintance..."
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Hello Ali,
Whenever people ask a question like this, with no clear answer, I look to the literature that is available.
As you can see above, Amanda sent links to articles about how people can get new or worsening POTS from a Covid infection. It is a common enough post-Covid occurrence that clinics and practices that treat "long Covid" patients have specific treatment protocols for it.
Reading of your acquaintance's unfortunate side effect from the vaccine, I looked to the VAERS data (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System https://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/datarequest/D8 ) where you can search for every reported instance of a side effect thought to be the result of the vaccine. Citizens can report if they wish, medical providers are mandated to report these events to VAERS.
Here is what I found:
434,000 events have been reported of the 350,000,000 doses of vaccine.
91 have mentioned POTS as the symptom
54 hospitalizations and 0 deaths were reported
1,000,000 people in the US have POTS
That means:
2 in 10,000 (.0002%) who have a reaction report POTS or 3 doses in one million (.000003%) result in a POTS reaction.
1,000,000 people have POTS in the US, about 3 people per 1000 (.003%) in the US have POTS, using the numbers, it's possible you would have a 1/1000 (.001%) chance of SOME reaction to the vaccine.
1/9 (11%) of people have gotten Covid.
I don't know how many people who actually reported POTS after a Covid infection, but to be part of the post-Covid rehab protocol, it would have to be significantly more than 90 people.
So I believe you can safely conclude that getting the vaccine is a lot safer than risking getting Covid, which tends to be more severe in people with underlying conditions.
I do not have POTS, but I do have underlying health conditions. I knew I had a high chance of inflammatory reaction to the vaccine, but chose to be vaccinated anyway. I got a severe reaction, was treated (in my case they used steroids to control it) and am now fine. I will get boosters as recommended and my other vaccines, even though I know I will probably react again, to protect myself, my little grandchildren, and help stop the spread.
Does this help you to make your decision?
Sue