What you need to know about the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine and Guillain-Barre syndrome

The United States Food and Drug Administration added a new warning for the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, after a handful of people developed Guillain-Barre syndrome after vaccination.

GBS – a disorder in which the immune system attacks the nerves – is a very rare complication known to occur after many types of infections and vaccinations, including the annual flu shot and the pneumococcal vaccine. The immune system accidentally attacks the particles in the vaccine and eventually attacks the nervous system as well, causing tingling and numbness to suddenly appear.

“This is something that is a well known process in the medical world, and it is extremely rare with the vaccine,” Sharon stoll, an immunoneurologist from Yale Medicine, told HuffPost. It is much more common to get GBS after contracting a virus or an insect than with this vaccine – or any vaccine, for that matter.

Unless you have a history of GBS after previous infections or vaccinations, this news shouldn’t prevent you from getting the J&J vaccine (or any other COVID-19 vaccine, if you haven’t already) . And if you’ve had the J&J shot before, there’s no reason to panic either. Here’s what you need to know:

There have been 100 reports of GBS out of the 12.8 million doses of J&J administered. In other words, it is unbelievably rare. It mainly occurred in men aged 50 and over, about two weeks after vaccination.

In the Johnson & Johnson clinical test, two patients developed GBS two weeks after receiving an injection. One of the patients had received the placebo injection and the other the vaccine. This study concluded that there was insufficient data to establish a causal relationship between the stroke and GBS. But now that 100 people (out of millions) have developed GBS after vaccination, scientists are taking a closer look at the link.

“It appears to be an extremely rare event and one in which the risk-benefit ratio still strongly favors the vaccine,” said Amesh Adalja, principal investigator at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security and expert in infectious diseases.

If you’ve had GBS before, health experts suggest talking to your doctor, and if needed, consider switching to one of the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines if you haven’t already received your injection. . There are many great options that can safely protect you from COVID-19 and the harm it causes.

GBS is a rare reaction in which the immune system goes awry and attacks the nervous system. When it occurs after vaccination, the immune system attacks the particles of the vaccine (in particular, the vector) and eventually attacks the nerves in the body, causing weakness and tingling in the extremities. This tingling quickly spreads upwards from the feet to the thighs to the groin and upwards. In very rare cases, it can eventually cause paralysis.

Stoll is not at all surprised that there have been cases of GBS in people vaccinated against COVID-19. There is no known link between GBS and COVID-19, but GBS has been traced to other infections, including Zika, gastrointestinal infections and respiratory infections. GBS is also a known (and very rare) side effect after many different types of vaccination.

We see it with the flu shot every year, as well as the pneumococcal vaccine. “It’s a very, very rare side effect, but among neurologists it’s something we see” after a flu infection and, less frequently, the flu shot, “Stoll said. GBS appears to be even rarer with the J&J COVID vaccine compared to other vaccines like the flu vaccine, according to Stoll.

Recovery, in most cases, is smooth. It is often treated with hospitalization, during which patients are given an infusion of immunoglobulins, which helps stabilize the immune system. “Most people, but not all, will fully recover from the weakness over a period of several months,” said Adalja.

According to Mayo Clinic60-80% of people can walk at six months, but the fatality rate from GBS is around 4-7%. Some people may experience long-term nerve damage and side effects like tingling, fatigue, or numbness.

Health experts largely agree that the benefits of J&J shot far outweigh the potential risks. “It certainly shouldn’t deter anyone from getting vaccinated against J&J or any other vaccine,” Stoll said.

GBS is extremely rare, and when it does occur, doctors know how to treat it. If you get vaccinated and a few weeks later you experience a tingling and numb sensation that quickly spreads from the feet upwards, see a doctor immediately. If you have been vaccinated and have not experienced any side effects related to it, then there is no reason to panic now.

Those who have already developed GBS in response to an infection or vaccination may want to receive one of Pfizer’s or Moderna’s mRNA injections, Stoll advised.

“Because we have two other great options, if you’ve ever had Guillain-Barré syndrome, and it was two years ago, I would say J&J may not be for you,” said Stoll said. “But that’s it, that would be the only subgroup.”

Experts are still learning more about COVID-19. The information in this story is what was known or available at the time of publication, but directions may change as scientists find out more about the virus. Please consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most recent recommendations.