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Vaccination

Increased Risk of Bell's Palsy After COVID-19 Vaccination, Study Finds

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases has investigated the association between COVID-19 vaccines and Bell's palsy, a rare adverse event reported in clinical trials. The research, conducted in Hong Kong, found that individuals who received the CoronaVac vaccine had a significantly higher risk of developing Bell's palsy compared to those who received the BNT162b2 vaccine.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study assessed the risk of Bell's palsy after vaccination with CoronaVac and BNT162b2 in Hong Kong using data from voluntary surveillance reporting and electronic health records.
  • A total of 28 clinically confirmed cases of Bell's palsy were reported following CoronaVac vaccination, and 16 cases were reported following BNT162b2 vaccination.
  • The age-standardized incidence of clinically confirmed Bell's palsy was 66.9 cases per 100,000 person-years following CoronaVac vaccination and 42.8 cases per 100,000 person-years for BNT162b2 vaccination.
  • The nested case-control analysis found that the adjusted ORs were 2.385 (95% CI 1.415 to 4.022) for CoronaVac and 1.755 (0.886 to 3.477) for BNT162b2.
  • The study suggests an overall increased risk of Bell's palsy after CoronaVac vaccination, but notes that the beneficial effects of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine far outweigh the risk of this generally self-limiting adverse event.

Statistics:

  • 451,939 individuals received the first dose of CoronaVac between February 23 and May 4, 2021.
  • 537,205 individuals received the first dose of BNT162b2 between February 23 and May 4, 2021.
  • 28 clinically confirmed cases of Bell's palsy were reported following CoronaVac vaccination.
  • 16 cases of Bell's palsy were reported following BNT162b2 vaccination.
  • The age-standardized incidence of clinically confirmed Bell's palsy was 66.9 cases per 100,000 person-years following CoronaVac vaccination and 42.8 cases per 100,000 person-years for BNT162b2 vaccination.

Sources:

  • Bell's Palsy Following Vaccination With Mrna (Bnt162b2) and Inactivated (Coronavac) Sars-cov-2 Vaccines: a Case Series and Nested Case-control Study. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2022;22(1):64-72.
  • The citation for this news report is: NewsRx. Reports Summarize COVID-19 Study Results from University of Hong Kong [Bell's Palsy Following Vaccination With Mrna (Bnt162b2) and Inactivated (Coronavac) Sars-cov-2 Vaccines: a Case Series and Nested Case-control Study]. Vaccine Weekly. February 23, 2022; p 594.

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