Vaccines, Vol. 11, Pages 215: Immunogenicity and Safety of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccines in a Cohort of Patients with Hereditary Angioedema

Vaccines, Vol. 11, Pages 215: Immunogenicity and Safety of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccines in a Cohort of Patients with Hereditary Angioedema

Vaccines doi: 10.3390/vaccines11020215

Authors: Ilaria Mormile Maria Celeste Gigliotti Angelica Petraroli Antonio Cocchiaro Alessandro Furno Francescopaolo Granata Francesca Wanda Rossi Giuseppe Portella Amato de Paulis

Many factors may trigger hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks. This study aims to gain insights into the benefits and potential risks of COVID-19 vaccination in HAE patients, focusing particularly on the possibility of triggering attacks. We enrolled 31 patients with HAE undergoing two doses of the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Comirnaty-BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine. To evaluate the possible influence of the vaccine on disease control and attack frequency, we administered the angioedema control test (AECT) 4-week version before (T0), 21 days after the first dose (T1), and between 21 and 28 days after the second dose (T2). Despite 5 patients (16.1%) experiencing attacks within 72 h of the first dose administration, no significant variation in attack frequency was observed before and after vaccination [F(2,60) = 0.123; p = 0.799]. In addition, patients reported higher AECT scores at T1 and T2 compared to T0 [F(2,44) = 6.541; p < 0.05; post hoc p < 0.05)], indicating that the disease was rather more controlled after vaccinations than in the previous period. All patients showed a positive serological response to the vaccine without significant differences from healthy controls (U = 162; p = 0.062). These observations suggest that the vaccine administration is safe and effective in HAE patients.