How to manage the risk of allergic reactions to Covid-19 vaccines and what to do if you have severe asthma
Who is allergic, how should they behave in case of vaccination to prevent infection with the Sars-CoV-2 virus? In the face of an extremely limited risk of serious anaphylaxis events, it is above all necessary to inquire with doctors. To date it is known that according to the first US data on anaphylactic reactions to Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines arrived at the vaccination campaign began, the rate of anaphylactic reactions is 11.1 cases per one million doses administered, higher than that recorded. with the flu shot, but which, however, as also pointed out by the Center for Diseases Control (CDC), remains a rare occurrence.
In Italy, from the very recent AIFA report on the surveillance of COVID-19 vaccines, it emerges that out of 1,564,090 vaccine doses administered in the period between 27.12.20 and 26.01.21, 13 cases of anaphylaxis / anaphylactic shock were reported Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. How to behave then?
Here is the document explaining what to do
"In response to the first American and Italian data on anaphylactic reactions to vaccines against Covid-19 – explains Riccardo Asero, President of AAIITO (Association of Allergologists, Italian Territorial and Hospital Immunologists) – our scientific society in collaboration with colleagues from SIAAIC (Italian Society of Allergology, Asthma and Clinical Immunology) has produced a technical document with the guidelines for the management by allergists of patients at risk of allergic reactions to vaccines for Covid-19. The document aims to standardize behavior throughout the national territory and is constantly updated in relation to new scientific findings that may emerge during the vaccination campaign ".
What do the guidelines indicate? First of all, all the necessary aids and drugs, such as adrenaline auto-injectors, must be available in the vaccination environment to facilitate emergency therapeutic procedures. Obviously it is essential that the nursing and medical staff be adequately trained in the immediate recognition and management of such emergencies.
For those who undergo the vaccine and have a history of allergic diseases, before the vaccination session, the administration of a more complete allergological questionnaire than the one currently proposed is indicated to check if the patient has suffered from severe anaphylaxis from any known or unknown cause. , if you have uncontrolled asthma, if you are diagnosed with mastocytosis, if you have had allergic reactions to previous vaccines or to PEG and Polysorbates. Patients with only one of these conditions should be sent in advance for an allergological visit, possibly with a preferential and programmable access, to carry out a specific diagnosis that allows to stratify the risk.
What to do if you have severe asthma
According to the experts, those suffering from severe asthma and treated with modern biological drugs should not suspend therapy in conjunction with vaccination. In case of severe uncontrolled asthma despite optimal therapy (biological and / or pharmacological), vaccination can be performed in a protected environment, with an extension of the observation period that can even reach an hour. Finally, an allergological evaluation is indicated for patients who have presented allergic reactions to the first administration of the vaccine.
The allergist will make the necessary recommendations on the procedures to be followed for vaccination, on the possible choice of an alternative vaccine or on the exclusion of the vaccination itself. "To answer the many questions we receive daily, we have produced a document with the answers to the most frequently asked questions on allergic reactions to anti-Covid vaccines that can be downloaded from the Allergicamente.it website – concludes the President AAIITO Asero".
Tag: Allergies Coronavirus Vaccines
