A Boston cancer doctor experienced the first serious reaction documented with the Modern vaccine. He credits his preparation before being vaccinated for saving him from being intubated. Now he is alerting others – if you have allergies, educate yourself before getting the vaccine. Come prepared.
Dr. Hossein Sadrzadeh, a geriatric oncologist at Boston Medical Center, is severely allergic to seafood. He got the vaccine on Christmas Eve. This is the first week of the launch of the Moderna vaccine. Sadrzadeh had an allergic reaction within minutes after receiving the vaccination. He had an appointment on Thursday afternoon and came prepared. He brought his personal EpiPen with him for consultation. He used it after the allergic reaction started, while he was being monitored by nurses at the hospital. He was taken to the emergency room to be evaluated, treated and observed. On Friday morning, he said he was feeling normal again.
At first, Dr. Sadrzadeh thought that the beginning of his allergic reaction was stress or anxiety. He quickly realized that it was not the case when his symptoms started. His tongue and throat were tingling and starting to go numb. He started to sweat profusely, became pale and very cold. He experienced a severe anaphylaxis reaction, the worst he said he had experienced since he was eleven years old, he said. The doctor credits his vision of bringing his EpiPen to save him from the need to be intubated, his reaction was severe. “I feel that if I didn’t have my EpiPen with me, I would be intubated now because it was very serious.”
Dr. Sadrzadeh hopes to spread the word to other people with allergies about potential reactions to vaccines against the coronavirus.
Sadrzadeh said he hopes his story will encourage anyone with a history of allergy to get information before they get the vaccine – and bring their EpiPen with them when they get vaccinated.
He also recommended that people with allergies receive the coronavirus vaccine at a hospital, rather than at a community provider.
“I really want people to take this seriously, those people who have severe allergic reactions. I want you to talk to your doctors, your allergist. I want them to carry EpiPen, if they have it at home, and also inform the person who is giving the injection that they have a serious allergic reaction, ”he said. “I knew the symptoms. I had the experience. I was a doctor and I was scared to death. Imagine someone who doesn’t have the information. “
He doesn’t want anyone else to go through the experience he had. Sadrzadeh has offered to provide Moderna with a blood sample so the company can find out which ingredient in its vaccine could trigger an allergic reaction in some people.
Boston Medical Center issued a statement.
In a statement, David Kibbe, a spokesman for the Boston Medical Center, said that Sadrzadeh ‘felt he was developing an allergic reaction and was allowed to self-administer his personal EpiPen.
“He was taken to the Emergency Room, evaluated, treated, observed and dismissed. He’s fine today. ‘
I’m a little surprised that Dr. Sadrzadeh got the vaccine with his history of severe allergies. The CDC has issued a warning that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines may not be appropriate for people with a history of anaphylaxis to the ingredients of both injections. The agency recommended that people with other allergies wait the standard 15 minutes after the injection before leaving the vaccination site. For those with an anaphylactic reaction to a substance, including another vaccine or injectable drug, an extra 15 minutes of monitoring is recommended. As we have seen with others, allergic reactions to vaccines come quickly. Moderna reported no link between her vaccine and anaphylaxis. However, rare side effects are always possible with vaccines.
None of the ingredients in any of the vaccines have been identified as a common allergen. But several experts cautiously pointed to polyethylene glycol, or PEG, which appears in both recipes, although in slightly different formulations, as a possible culprit. PEG is found in a variety of pharmaceutical products, including ultrasound gel, laxatives and injectable steroids, and allergies to it are extremely rare.
Dr. Kuruvilla said that it is still possible that something else is responsible, and further investigations are needed to discover the cause of this small number of events.
Dr. Kimberly Blumenthal, an allergist and immunologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, noted that anaphylaxis can sometimes be difficult to confirm without blood tests looking for an enzyme called tryptase, which is released during allergic reactions. It is essential, she added, that protocols are in place so that similar cases can be investigated in more detail.
People who use lip and facial fillers for cosmetic reasons are also being warned about the risk of side effects. They may experience swelling and inflammation like several study participants.
A California dermatologist said the reaction was immunological, ABC7 reported yesterday.
Dr. Shirley Chi said that any side effects are easily treatable with steroids and antihistamines, adding: ‘Your immune system, which causes inflammation, is accelerated when you get a vaccine, this is how it should work.
“So it makes sense for you to see an immune response in certain areas where they see some substance that is not a naturally occurring substance in your body.”
Modern vaccine manufacturers and the National Institutes of Health are considering conducting clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccines in very allergic populations to help understand the rate of allergic reactions and what is causing them.