Comparison of side effects of the dose-1 of AstraZeneca and Sinopharm vaccines in patients with multiple sclerosis in Kermanshah, Iran (2021)

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is recommended for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). This study evaluated the side effects of Sinopharm and AstraZeneca vaccines in MS patients.

In this cross-sectional study among MS patients in Kermanshah province, Iran, who received Sinopharm or AstraZeneca vaccine, sampling was performed through convenience sampling according to the nationwide MS registry of Iran (NMSRI). Demographic and clinical information of the participants and data on the side effects of vaccines were collected by telephone after the first dose. The data were analyzed in SPSS software.

264 vaccinated MS patients (217 with Sinopharm and 47 with AstraZeneca) were studied. In the Sinopharm and AstraZeneca groups, respectively, 58.5% and 73.3% of patients had side effects that were not significantly different between the 2 groups (P = 0.064). In the AstraZeneca group, the severity of side effects and prevalence of taking painkillers were significantly higher (P < 0.050) and the interval between vaccination and side effects onset was significantly shorter (P = 0.013). The most commonly experienced side effects in the Sinopharm group were fatigue (29.0%), myalgia (24.9%), fever (24.0%), and headache (21.7%), and in the AstraZeneca group were fever (59.6%), chills (51.1%), myalgia (40.4%), and fatigue (34.0%). Logistic regression by controlling for confounding variables showed that considering some factors as confounding factors did not show a significant difference between the 2 vaccines in the experience of side effects (P = 0.104).

The AstraZeneca vaccine caused more severe side effects in MS patients than the Sinopharm vaccine. Most of the side effects were moderate in severity and transient.