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Encephalitis following COVID-19 Vaccination: A Systematic Review
Mariam Abdelhady1,2, Muhammad Ashraf Husain3, Yousef Hawas4
1Faculty of Medicine, October 6 University, Giza 12585, Egypt.
Vaccines
|March 30, 2023
Summary
COVID-19 vaccination has been linked to encephalitis cases. This review of 65 patients found most cases occurred after the first vaccine dose, with full recovery common, but causality remains unproven.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Immunology
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Post-COVID-19 vaccination encephalitis cases have been reported globally.
- Understanding the clinical characteristics of these cases is crucial for healthcare providers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and characterize reported cases of encephalitis following COVID-19 vaccination.
- To provide insights into clinical presentation, treatment, and outcomes for physician awareness.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar up to October 2022.
- Extraction of demographic data, clinical features, vaccine details, treatments, and outcomes from included studies.
- Analysis of 65 patients from 52 studies.
Main Results:
- The mean age of affected patients was 46.8 years, with 55.4% males.
- AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines were most frequently associated with encephalitis.
- Most cases (66.1%) occurred after the first vaccine dose, with a mean onset of 9.97 days post-vaccination.
- Corticosteroids and immunosuppressants were common treatments, and most patients recovered fully.
Conclusions:
- This review summarizes clinical aspects of post-COVID-19 vaccination encephalitis.
- The study highlights common presentations, treatments, and outcomes.
- It does not establish incidence or causality between COVID-19 vaccines and encephalitis.
