Thread by @Dysautonomia

A team of researchers from NIH, Harvard, Johns Hopkins & Mt. Sinai just published a case series on 23 previously healthy individuals who developed #POTS or other neurological problems within 1 month after receiving a #COVID vaccine. Let's dig in: 🧵

They found autonomic dysfunction, small fiber neuropathy, inflammation of small fiber nerves, and that immune proteins called complement were being deposited on the small fiber nerves, which is seen in some autoimmune neurological disorders. 🧵

They emphasize that their study does NOT conclusively confirm that COVID vaccines caused the neurological illness, but circumstantial evidence suggests immune dysregulation is likely involved. They call for further research to understand mechanisms and clinical trials. 🧵

They also emphasize that serious adverse events after vaccination are rare & potential rare side effects are not a reason to avoid COVID vaccination. Vaccination is the most effective way to reduce your risk of death or severe complications during an acute COVID infection. 🧵

Vaccination has been shown significantly reduce the risk of developing #LongCOVID, a debilitating post-infectious illness that is causing #dysautonomia in millions of people. 🧵

The researchers also note that post-vaccine neurological symptoms are generally less severe than post-infectious neurological symptoms. 🧵

If you have COVID vaccine concerns, we encourage you to take this article to your doctor to talk about it. We don’t want our community to be afraid of vaccination because of this study. This study actually shows us that rare vaccine side effects are treatable. 🧵

If your dysautonomia developed or worsened significantly after receiving any vaccine, we encourage you to work with your doctors to submit a report to your government’s vaccine reporting system. For example:
US: vaers.hhs.gov
UK: yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk
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Read a news article explaining highlights from the study: news-medical.net/news/20220519/… 🧵

Read the research article (it's a pre-print): medrxiv.org/content/10.110… 🧵

We have been funding research on the role of small fiber neuropathy, immune mechanisms & immune treatments in #POTS and #LongCOVID. You can support that research by making a contribution to our POTS Research Fund or Long COVID Research Fund at CureDys.org. End of 🧵.