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COVID-19 vaccination for patients with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes
Xinyu Yang1, Lulu Wu2, Dandan Zheng2
1Department of Paediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Department of Neurology, Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital, Hefei, China.
Insights
COVID-19 vaccination is safe and well-tolerated in children with benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS). The study found mild side effects and no increased seizure activity, supporting vaccination recommendations for these patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neurology
- Immunology
Background:
- Childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) requires stable daily routines, making vaccination decisions challenging for parents.
- There is a significant need for information regarding COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy in pediatric epilepsy patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and tolerability of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with BECTS.
- To assess adverse effects and seizure control following vaccination in children with BECTS.
Main Methods:
- Caregivers of BECTS patients reported vaccination status, adverse effects, and seizure control after the second dose of Chinese-approved COVID-19 vaccines.
- Data collected included specific vaccine types, reported side effects, and parental concerns regarding vaccination.
Main Results:
- Of 77 vaccinated children, 25.97% reported mild, self-relieving side effects (e.g., injection site pain, fatigue).
- No patients experienced status epilepticus or exacerbation of pre-existing conditions.
- Parental concerns included seizure induction (40%), vaccine side effects (19%), and drug interactions (32%).
Conclusions:
- COVID-19 vaccination appears safe and well-tolerated in pediatric patients with BECTS.
- The findings support the recommendation of COVID-19 vaccination for children with BECTS.
- Further research on vaccine safety and tolerability would aid parental decision-making.
Aim:
There is a high demand for information on COVID-19 vaccination for patients with childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS). Patients with this condition need a stable, daily life; unfortunately, the decision of vaccination is not easy for their parents. We evaluated patients with BECTS for symptoms and seizure control after COVID-19 vaccination.
Methods:
We asked the caregivers of all patients who visited our hospital to report their vaccination status, and if vaccinated, their experience in terms of adverse effects and seizure control after the second dose of the four Chinese-approved COVID-19 vaccines.
Results:
Seventy-seven children had received their second COVID-19 vaccine dose: 58 of 77 (75.3%) received Sinopharm (Beijing): BBIBP-CorV (Vero cells) and 16 (20.8%) received CanSino: Ad5-nCoV. Twenty of seventy-seven (25.97%) patients with BECTS reported having side effects; all effects were mild that could be relieved themselves. For Sinopharm (Beijing): BBIBP-CorV (Vero cells), the most frequent local side effect reported by the parents was pain at the site of injection (17.24%) and systematic side effect was fatigue (15.52%). For CanSino: Ad5-nCoV, the most reported local side effect was pain at the site of injection (6.25%). All parents reported that their child's side effects could be relieved by themselves. No patient reported status epilepticus or exacerbation of a pre-existing condition. If non-vaccinated, the cause of hesitation was explored: 40% of parents worried about inducing seizures, 19% of parents worried about vaccine side effects, 32% of parents worried about the vaccine-antiepileptic drug interactions, and 9% of parents feared for their child's physical condition. More than 34.1% of parents accepted that the decision to get the vaccine for their child was difficult. Over 90% of parents believe that research on the safety and tolerability of vaccination would help them to make the decision.
Conclusion:
Our data suggest that COVID-19 vaccination is well tolerated and safe in patients below 18 years of age having BECTS, thereby supporting the recommendation of vaccination.
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