COVID-19 Vaccine: A Survey of Hesitancy in Patients with Celiac Disease

Abstract

(1) Background: COVID-19 vaccination campaigns offer the best hope of controlling the pandemic. However, the fast production of COVID-19 vaccines has caused concern among the general public regarding their safety and efficacy. In particular, patients with chronic illnesses, such as celiac disease (CD), may be more fearful. Information on vaccine hesitancy plays a pivotal role in the development of an efficient vaccination campaign. In our study, we aimed to evaluate COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Italian CD patients. (2) Methods: an anonymous questionnaire was sent to CD patients followed at our tertiary referral center for CD in Milan, Italy. Patients were defined as willing, hesitant and refusing. We evaluated the reasons for hesitancy/refusal and the possible determinants, calculating crude and adjusted odds ratios [AdjORs] with 95% confidence intervals [CIs]. (3) Results: the questionnaire was sent to 346 patients with a response rate of 29.8%. Twenty-six (25.2%) of the 103 respondents were hesitant, with a total refusal rate of 4.8%. The main reason was fear of adverse events related to vaccination (68.2%). Among hesitant patients, 23% declared that their opinion was influenced by their CD. The determinants positively influencing willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19 were adherence to a GFD, perception of good knowledge about COVID-19 and its vaccines, and a positive attitude to previous vaccines (AdjOR 12.71, 95% CI 1.82–88.58, AdjOR 6.50, 95% CI 1.44–29.22, AdjOR 0.70, 95% CI 0.11–4.34, respectively). (4) Conclusions: CD patients should be vaccinated against COVID-19 and a specific campaign to address the determinants of hesitancy should be developed.

A Survey of Hesitancy and Response to the COVID-19 Vaccine Among Patients With Epilepsy in Northeast China

“…However, only 11% of the participants took the vaccine in our study, which was significantly lower than the national average uptake (3). This acceptance was also significantly lower than the data of Italian patients living with inflammatory bowel disease (80.3%) (18) and celiac disease (74.8%) (19). On one hand, the acceptance in our study referred to the rate of patients who had already received the vaccine, which might be lower than the rate of willingness.…”

“…In December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), broke out and led to a rapid worldwide pandemic. Up to the end of July 2021, COVID-19 had caused more than 192 million confirmed cases and over 4 million fatalities worldwide (1).…”

Attitudes, acceptance and hesitancy among the general population worldwide to receive the COVID-19 vaccines and their contributing factors: A systematic review

“…A survey done on students as representatives of the younger population confirmed that the majority of them would accept vaccination [122] in both Naples and Southern Italy. Some specific populations that were also included in surveys included people experiencing homelessness, out of which two-thirds of them expressed willingness to vaccinate [123] , while a high rate (74%) of willingness was also observed among celiac disease patients [124] . Finally, studies that assessed parents’/caregivers’ willingness report that English participants were less willing to vaccinate their children (48.2%) compared with Italian participants [125] , where more than 90% were willing to have their children take the recommended vaccine [126] .…”

Attitudes toward the SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza Vaccination in the Metropolitan Cities of Bologna and Palermo, Italy

“…Other determinants that most frequently led to vaccine confidence were found to be trust in vaccine safety (51.0% of participants who were willing to get vaccinated) and the fact that respondents had never had problems with vaccinations in the past (34.3%). Past adherence to vaccinations and, consequently, having experienced common adverse reactions and having observed vaccination safety firsthand are indeed considered to be contributing predisposing factors for vaccine confidence [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ].…”