Overlapping side effects: Multiple Sclerosis and COVID
I really want to be vaccinated but I need more information. I have been injecting 30 mcg interferon to treat Multiple Sclerosis. Some of the side effects are heart issues and liver problems. It appears that all Covid-19 vaccines pose risks of cardiac infarction and cerebrovascular accident. So here are my questions. Are these sets of side effects cumulate ? Are the vaccine side effects more likely in patients who have MS ? Have any studies been done that include MS patients ? Have any studies been done that include people who inject interferon ? If those studies have been done, how can the public access the data ? If those studies have not been done, are any planned ? I have been in isolation since the pandemic started 18 months ago and I live alone. I only leave my house to pick up groceries curbside and I wear double masks when I do so. In late September of 2020, I contracted Covid-19 from an a symptomatic electrician who came to my home to do some work. Neither he nor I wore masks because our interaction only lasted long enough for me to write a check to pay for his work. 10 days later, I woke in the middle of the night with a fever of 103° with nausea, diarrhea, and an inability to maintain balance. Nearly a year later, I still have fatigue, shortness of breath, and reduced senses of taste and smell. I really don’t want to go through that experience again. But I don’t want to die from a heart attack either. I’m not seeking medical advice per se. I am seeking answers to the questions I posed so I can make my own decision. My neurologist said he doesn’t have enough information. My pharmacist said the same thing. The sources I have consulted so far include CDC, WHO, Yale University, and now MAYO CLINIC. Thank you for your help !
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This won't be a perfect answer, this is from the CDC Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System and shows the events reported reported among people who also report having MS and/or taking Interferon. Reporting to VAERS is voluntary for patients, and the data from medical practitioners is only as good as what they enter. But it is representative of what people are experiencing.
A total of 392 people identified as having MS reported some adverse event after Covid vaccination, about 150 were serious enough to seek medical care. 20 people who identified as taking Interferon reported side effects, 4 severe enough to seek medical care; 2 of those reported also having MS. None of those reported cardiac infarction, cerebrovascular accident and one person with MS reported "hepatic pain."
Here is the guidance from the National MS Society https://www.nationalmssociety.org/coronavirus-covid-19-information/multiple-sclerosis-and-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine-guidance
Is there a particular reason why you are so hesitant? Understand that all of us, especially with preexisting conditions, may face some side effects from any vaccine, but from the data collected so far, being vaccinated is far safer than contracting Covid.
Sue