Adverse Events of COVID-19 Vaccines in Adolescents with Endocrinological Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the adverse events seen after COVID-19 vaccines in pediatric patients with endocrinological problems and to compare them with healthy controls.

METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, patients aged 12-18 years who applied to our department between January and May 2022 and were followed up for at least six months due to endocrine diseases, and healthy subjects in the same age group who had received a COVID-19 vaccine [BNT162b2 mRNA or inactivated vaccine] were included. Adverse events experienced after the vaccination were evaluated with a questionnaire.

RESULTS: A total of 160 subjects (85 patients, 75 healthy controls) with a median age of 15.5 (25-75p: 14.1-16.9) years were included. The frequency of adverse events was higher in those vaccinated with the mRNA vaccine compared to the inactivated one in the first dose (p=0.015). The incidence of adverse events observed in the first and second doses of both COVID-19 vaccines was similar in the patient and control groups (p=0.879 and p=0.495, respectively), with local reactions as the most common one. The frequency of complaints was similar among the patients who received and did not receive any endocrinological treatment (p>0.05). The incidence and severity of systemic reactions were similar to healthy subjects in both vaccine doses, regardless of the underlying diagnosis, autoimmunity state, and the treatment regimen used in patients with endocrine diseases.

CONCLUSIONS: We found that adverse event incidence and severity of COVID-19 vaccines in adolescents with endocrinological disorders were similar to healthy subjects, in the early period post-vaccination.