SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination and Graves’ Disease... - Thyroid UK

Thyroid UK

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SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccination and Graves’ Disease: A Report of 12 Cases and Review of the Literature

academic.oup.com/jcem/advan...

I was reluctant to post this because I assume that the majority here is vaccinated and the last thing anybody needs is to heap more things to worry about on our plate. It is not the first time, though, that I have read about the connection between this vaccine (and others) and the onset or aggravation of thyroid issues. And to me information, even if disconcerting, is still information I would want to have. And the group is very small in this study (whatever we want to conclude from that). So here it goes. Will clinicians be vigilant? I doubt it. But then, I'm thoroughly jaded.

"Clinicians need to be vigilant of precipitation or exacerbation of autoimmune thyroid disorders in predisposed individuals after exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Further epidemiological and mechanistic studies are required to elucidate the possible associations between the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and the development of thyroid autoimmunity."

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buddy99

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tattybogle3 years ago

crikey .. '12 patients' isn't many i think.. until i got to the bit were it say's it's '12 patients in a single tertiary endocrinology clinic in singapore .... ' eek .

am reading the rest with interest ... i've seen more than handful of 'weird' thyroid goings on for hypo patients after either covid infection or vaccination on the forum in the last year where T4 and T3 levels seem to have 'spiked' , so i'm not too surprised if either covid itself or the vaccination for it can provoke Graves into action .

Thankyou for posting it buddy99.

It's better to know than not. .. although i suspect the issue will turn out to be just as relevant to having covid itself as the vaccine .

tattybogle• in reply totattybogle3 years ago

"Although in these cases, the temporal sequence suggests that thyrotoxicosis may be related to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, there is currently no evidence to prove a causal relationship. The relationship can only be postulated to be at best as “probable.” The vaccination may serve as a precipitating agent. Using the analogy recently published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (42), the vaccination may at best be considered as another rain cloud in the trajectory of Graves’ disease. In an individual with pre-existing Graves’ disease, it may serve as a role of a sudden rain cloud that may disrupt the steady state and will need reenforcement of an umbrella; whereas in new-onset Graves’ disease, it may be a sudden rain cloud that disrupts the baseline latency of the autoimmune problem and precipitates a full-blown disease (42). However, baseline predisposing factors would have been present in the individuals and the vaccine cannot be considered as a causative agent. Selenium supplementation and optimizing vitamin D levels may be considered to minimize aberrant autoimmune reactions in patients known to have preexisting autoimmune disorders (43)".

the bit about the weather peeked my interest so i looked up the reference for the quote :

Graves’ Disease in the Young: Could We Change the Weather?

Patrice Rodien

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism,Published: 20 December 2021

academic.oup.com/jcem/advan...

it is a brief and interesting read about rates of remission in teenagers and young adults with graves and whether rituximab might improve them.

buddy99• in reply totattybogle3 years ago

Very interesting. Still so much to explore. Happy to see that at least some exploring is done.

userotc3 years ago

Thanks for posting despite understandable reluctance. If only Governments, big pharma were prepared to consider such evidence.

Clearly it's not the 1st time we have seen such reports and I've read numerous comments on this forum and others from autoimmunity sufferers including on Quora just yesterday.

Yes it may be argued that it's a balance with the effects/consequences of the virus. But transparency is needed, particularly with proven, natural approaches without side effects.

Horsey073 years ago

12 is indeed a tiny number, insignificant in terms of the number of people vaccinated worldwide and a drop in the ocean compared to the number of deaths from covid. We all need to weigh up the pros and cons of vaccination so it’s good to have as much information as possible. For me the risk of death from covid far outweighs any other concerns.

tattybogle• in reply toHorsey073 years ago

12 ...... in one clinic in singapore ,over i year. You would need to know how may new / relapsed cased of hyperthyroidism the clinic had in a 'normal' year to be sure how significant 12 is .... bit i suspect if you multiply 12 by all the clinics in the world it will be a fairly significant statistic.

Horsey07• in reply totattybogle3 years ago

Five were new cases, seven relapsed cases. Nine had recovered within forty two days. Obviously the cases occurred within a year as that’s how long the clinic had been dispensing the vaccine. Only twenty one other cases were recorded worldwide, all recovered and were able to have booster doses. It would seem that this group is rather unusual and it’s possible that some other factor was at play. Most importantly, the study concludes that the vaccine should still be given as the safety it confers far outweighs the risks.

tattybogle• in reply toHorsey073 years ago

Rather than there being anything unusual about the group of patients at this clinic , i would have thought it more likely that this is the only clinic to have run a study and published it's findings so far. the fact that only 20 or so other cases have been written about in medical literature so far doesn't mean there are only 20 odd cases in the rest of the world .

(i'm not pointing this out for any pro/anti vaccine standpoint .. i'm mostly 'for it' myself .. and it's no use worrying about potential vaccine effects if you're already dead from covid ..... i'm just interested to learn about the effects of Covid and/ or vaccine on thyroid function, so that we can take this into account if we see people having weird thyroid fluctuations post infection / vaccine )

"nine had recovered within 42 days"

not exactly

" Nine patients achieved normal free T4 within a median time of 42 (IQR 31-58) days." ... the fact they achieved normal fT4 levels within 'x' days on carbimazole is not the same as recovered/ Euthyroid .

We don't have any information about how quickly they will achieve normal FT4 levels without carbimazole (Remission ) or how many of them will go on to need definitive treatment (RAI /surgery ).

buddy99• in reply totattybogle3 years ago

I'm with you on that tattybogle. I'm 99% sure that my doctor would not report any adverse effect of the vaccine, thyroid or otherwise, maybe even if it were severe. He would never in a million years believe it was the vaccine. So we don't really know anything at this point because of different factors (lack of reporting, other influences etc.). I'm fully vaccinated plus booster and believe that we are fortunate to have vaccines. But I also believe that they are not as benign as they are made out to be.

tattybogle• in reply tobuddy993 years ago

i wonder if my case of post pfizer 'comedy thumb ' will make it into a medical paper? healthunlocked.com/thyroidu.......

buddy99• in reply totattybogle3 years ago

Oh my goodness, tattybogle, this made me laugh (although not a laughing matter). I just love the "comedy thumb". And no, it is more likely to make it into comedy than into a medical paper. 😂

BAJKA• in reply toHorsey073 years ago

12 is significant if you are one of that 12 tho....

buddy99• in reply toBAJKA3 years ago

So true. If a house collapses and 99 people get out unharmed but one has life altering injuries it is statistically insignificant. For the injured person and their loved ones it is by no stretch insignificant. And that's also the "flaw" in evidence based medicine that some patients fall through the grit, especially when it is adhered to religiously.

Milkyway883 years ago

Hi Buddy,

Thank you for this- very interesting.

I had a severe skin reaction to the Pfizer, It was bad enough to derail my life for a year, until treatment started to help. Dermatologist said he’s seen an increase in his surgery, so it is a thing. I’m only just getting back to dealing with the thyroid, and it’s made me think that it could well have been adversely affected.

Having said that, I would still get the vaccine, as you can be treated as long as you’re alive. Just wish there was more information; it’s difficult to find anything beyond a ‘sore arm for a day’.

metamorphica3 years ago

All i can say is ever since my second Vaccine dose i've had serious issues trying to get my levels anywhere near back to the good levels they were. I to all extents seem to be dealing with long covid even though Ive always tested negative for covid and the symptoms all appeared within an hour of said vaccine.

buddy99• in reply tometamorphica3 years ago

I thought my throat would explode. There was so much pressure in the thyroid area and also pain. Pressure went away, pain persists off and on. T4 went way passed normal. Strangely enough TSH increased slightly (?) and so did T3. I'm just glad I tested it not through my doctor. God knows what he would have done.

BAJKA3 years ago

I have Graves and I'm not vaccinated, I'm scared to take a vaccine.... had covid last December and it was like a flue to me....Statistics mean nothing to the individual, if the individual is in that majority and effects you directly.... that's why I'm scared to take the vaccine.... sad face...

buddy99• in reply toBAJKA3 years ago

That's why I am against mandated vaccination. In the meantime there is more research on how all kinds of different factors can influence outcome of a Covid infection. I think everybody should have the choice because they bear the consequences (good and bad) of their decision. That's how it is in life.