By Melissa Rudy, Fox News<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a majority of people, the COVID vaccine doesn\u2019t cause adverse health effects \u2014 but a small percentage experience chronic symptoms that can last for months or even years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yale researchers recently made some discoveries about why certain people experience this condition, which they have dubbed \u201cpost-vaccination syndrome\u201d (PVS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In early findings, the team recognized \u201cpotential immunological patterns\u201d that are unique to people with PVS. The hope is that this discovery will help to enable future treatments and therapies for those who are affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis work is still in its early stages, and we need to validate these findings,\u201d said co-senior study author Akiko Iwasaki, Sterling Professor of Immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine, in a press release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut this is giving us some hope that there may be something that we can use for diagnosis and treatment of PVS down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People with this condition may suffer from excessive fatigue, exercise intolerance, brain fog, insomnia and dizziness, according to the Yale researchers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These typically develop within a day or two of vaccination and can worsen over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s clear that some individuals are experiencing significant challenges after vaccination. Our responsibility as scientists and clinicians is to listen to their experiences, rigorously investigate the underlying causes, and seek ways to help,\u201d said co-senior author Harlan Krumholz, professor of cardiology at YSM, in the release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPost-vaccination syndrome is real, and has been found [to occur] from many vaccines, including COVID,\u201d Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The researchers analyzed blood samples from 42 study participants who experienced symptoms of PVS and 22 who did not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those with symptoms were shown to have lower levels of two types of white blood cells. People with PVS who had never had COVID also had lower levels of antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, likely because they tended to have fewer vaccine doses, according to the release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cPost-vaccination syndrome is real, and has been found [to occur] from many vaccines.\u201dDr. Marc Siegel<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFewer vaccine doses and no viral infection means the body\u2019s immune system has had little opportunity to develop a defense to the virus,\u201d said the researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of the people with PVS also had higher levels of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which enables the virus to penetrate and infect host cells. This has also been linked to a higher risk of developing long COVID.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know if the level of spike protein is causing the chronic symptoms, because there were other participants with PVS who didn\u2019t have any measurable spike protein \u2014 but it could be one mechanism underlying this syndrome,\u201d said Iwasaki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to the elevated spike proteins, other factors could increase the risk of post-vaccination syndrome. Those include autoimmunity, tissue damage and reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the researchers wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAkiko Iwasaka is a world-renowned immunologist at Yale who has studied COVID (and COVID vaccines) extensively,\u201d Siegel pointed out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn this new study, she reports that in a very small percentage of those who received COVID vaccines (and experienced prolonged side effects), there may be the presence of persistent spike protein,\u201d Siegel confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey may also experience immune disruption, which takes the form of elevations in inflammatory immune cells (CD8 and TN alpha) and a decrease in cells that help resolve inflammation and infection (CD4 helper cells).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The researchers agreed that more studies are essential to guide diagnosis and treatment.335<\/p>\n\n\n\n