Vocal fold paralysis following first dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine

Abstract

Background: In a bid to end the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many countries, including the United Kingdom, have rolled out mass immunisation programmes. While considered generally safe and effective, vaccines against COVID-19 have been reported to be associated with rare and potentially adverse reactions and side effects.Case report: We report an unusual case of a patient who developed a unilateral vocal cord paralysis shortly after receiving the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca ChAdOx1 nCov-19 vaccine. Conclusion:To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of vocal cord paralysis following administration of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The authors support the position that currently approved COVID-19 vaccines remain safe and effective, however, further surveillance and vigilance using real-world data is highly encouraged.

Correspondence on ‘Vocal fold paralysis following first dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine’

“…We would like to share ideas on the publication ‘Vocal fold paralysis following first dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine’. 1 We agree that the adverse effect of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccination exists and the effect on the vocal fold might be possible. This clinical entity is rare and acute voice change is the common clinical presentation.…”

Left Vocal Cord Palsy Immediately After COVID-19 Despite No Tracheal Intubation

“…Moreover, vocal cord palsy after COVID-19 vaccination as well as COVID-19 morbidity has also been reported[13][14]. However, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) database indicates that vocal cord palsy has also been reported to occur with vaccination against influenza, shingles, pneumococcus, and hepatitis B[15][16].…”

Letter to the Editor: Guillain-Barré Syndrome Needs to Be Considered as a Cause of Idiopathic Bilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis

“…Although there are few reports of VFP associated COVID-19 vaccination so far, most of the reported cases are unilateral. 2 3 4 In a recent study using the United States Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System database, 15 of 17 VFP patients (88.2%) following COVID-19 vaccination with information on laterality were unilateral and only the remaining two (11.8%) were bilateral. 2 Moreover, in two recent case reports, 2 cases of VFP after receiving BNT162b2 and 1 case after receiving ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca) were all unilateral.…”

“… 2 Moreover, in two recent case reports, 2 cases of VFP after receiving BNT162b2 and 1 case after receiving ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AstraZeneca) were all unilateral. 3 4 Therefore, we believe that bilateral VFP requires a more thorough differential diagnosis than unilateral VFP to consider the association with COVID-19 vaccination.…”