Can COVID-19 Vaccines Induce Premature Non-Communicable Diseases: Where Are We Heading to?

Abstract

According to the WHO, as of January 2023, more than 850 million cases and over 6.6 million deaths from COVID-19 have been reported worldwide. Currently, the death rate has been reduced due to the decreased pathogenicity of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, but the major factor in the reduced death rates is the administration of more than 12.8 billion vaccine doses globally. While the COVID-19 vaccines are saving lives, serious side effects have been reported after vaccinations for several premature non-communicable diseases (NCDs). However, the reported adverse events are low in number. The scientific community must investigate the entire spectrum of COVID-19-vaccine-induced complications so that necessary safety measures can be taken, and current vaccines can be re-engineered to avoid or minimize their side effects. We describe in depth severe adverse events for premature metabolic, mental, and neurological disorders; cardiovascular, renal, and autoimmune diseases, and reproductive health issues detected after COVID-19 vaccinations and whether these are causal or incidental. In any case, it has become clear that the benefits of vaccinations outweigh the risks by a large margin. However, pre-existing conditions in vaccinated individuals need to be taken into account in the prevention and treatment of adverse events.

COVID-19 and cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease

“…Currently available vaccines include those based on genetically recombinant mRNA molecules (BNT 162b2 Pfizer/BioNTech, mRNA-1273 Moderna) and non-replicating viral vector vaccines (CgAdOx1nCoV-19 AstraZeneca/Oxford, Ad26.COV2.S Janssen/Johnson & Johnson and Sputnik V Gamaleya Research). Vaccines are safe even in high-risk populations and have dramatically reduced the risk of severe COVID-19 [ 119 ].…”

“…These results were consistent with those of smaller cohorts showing a reduced risk of MI or stroke within 14 days after COVID-19 vaccination [ 121 ]. However, adverse effects have been reported in smaller number of patients, particularly in the elderly or those with a pre-existing high risk, such as hypertension, platelet aggregation, thrombosis, arrhythmia, myocarditis, acute kidney injury (AKI) with proteinuria, haematuria secondary to podocyte injury, neurological or psychiatric disorders [ 119 , 122 ].…”

In-hospital and long-term all-cause mortality in 75 years and older hospitalized patients with and without COVID-19

“…The health care landscape for older individuals was further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although hypertension, obesity, and diabetes are the most common non-communicable diseases among individuals with confirmed COVID-19 cases 3,4 , age remains the key determinant of severe disease and death from COVID-19. Specifically, older adults are more susceptible to severe COVID-19 outcomes because of chronic inflammation and other age-related declines in immune function 5 .…”

The Aftermath of COVID-19: Exploring Long-Term Effects on the Organ Systems

“…It generated the global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19), an acute respiratory and systemic illness that endangers public health globally [1]. Since the outbreak in 2 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has been the centerpiece for studies on the signalosome [2], therapeutic treatments [3], and its potential role in other illnesses ( [4,5]). Thousands of SARS-CoV-2 patients are suffering from a variety of post-COVID problems, including so-called ʺlong COVID-19ʺ.…”