Your risk of stroke after the COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t appear to be higher than the stroke risk in the general population. But, there does seem to be an elevated risk of stroke after having COVID-19, especially in the first 3 days after you become ill.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine is important for preventing serious illness and death due to COVID-19. So far, 81.4% of people in the United States have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
But there have been questions about whether the COVID-19 vaccine increases your risk of stroke. This article will help to answer some of these questions.
Researchers have continued to study stroke risk after COVID-19 vaccination. So far, many have found that there’s no increase in the prevalence of stroke after getting the COVID-19 vaccine compared with stroke rates in the general population.
For example, a
- age
- sex
- the type or combination of mRNA vaccines received
Another
COVID-19 vaccines and thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome
Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) is a very rare, but serious, side effect that’s associated
TTS causes low platelet counts and blood clots in your large blood vessels. These blood clots can potentially cause a stroke.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that TTS happens with every
Despite the rarity of TTS, a CDC advisory committee stated that
Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines and stroke risk
Earlier this year, the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
This signal, triggered by the CDC’s
The announcement goes on to say that no other safety systems or analyses have observed this signal:
- Two studies that haven’t been published yet on bivalent vaccines using data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services database and Veterans Affairs database haven’t found an increased prevalence of ischemic stroke.
- There hasn’t been an increase in reports of ischemic stroke in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System after the introduction of the bivalent vaccine.
- Pfizer-BioNTech’s safety database hasn’t identified a safety signal for ischemic stroke with their bivalent vaccine.
- Other countries haven’t seen an increased rate of ischemic stroke with the bivalent vaccines yet.
Also, initial studies using data from health systems in France and
Currently,
Some studies have found that the rate of
Although COVID-19-related strokes are generally uncommon, having COVID-19 may increase your risk of stroke. According to a
The risk of stroke associated with COVID-19 is highest in the
A
While few studies have assessed the risk of a second stroke after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, a history of stroke
Some
The
What if I have stroke risk factors?
If you have stroke risk factors, it’s also important to get your COVID-19 vaccine, as many
It’s not uncommon to have questions or concerns about any type of vaccine, medication, or medical procedure. If you have reservations about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine, be sure to raise these with a doctor or healthcare professional.
A doctor is there to support you. They can help answer questions you have and address any concerns that you may have about the COVID-19 vaccine.
A doctor can also discuss the risk of various vaccine side effects as they relate to your individual situation. They may recommend that you receive a specific type of COVID-19 vaccine.
Compared with stroke rates in the general population, research shows that there isn’t a higher risk of stroke after COVID-19 vaccination. In fact, you may be more at a higher risk of stroke after developing COVID-19 than after getting vaccinated.
People with a history of stroke or who have certain stroke risk factors are at a higher risk of severe COVID-19 illness.
If you have questions or concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine, be sure to raise these with a doctor. They can help address any concerns you may have.
